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Sometimes the simplest dishes are also the most delicious. I almost didn’t get a photo of this Spiralized Butternut “Pasta” because I couldn’t. stop. tasting. it.
It is lick-the-pan good.
It’s also deceivingly easy to prepare. The only “work” involved is chopping (and spiralizing) a few vegetables, then warming them up together in a pan. Though it sounds super-simple, the flavor combination of caramelized onions, mushrooms, fresh sage, and butternut squash are a match made in heaven. You’re literally just minutes away from enjoying this comforting pasta-like dish!
In this case, the “pasta” is in the form of butternut squash noodles, for a vegetable-centric and nutrient-rich meal. Though butternut squash tends to be a little tough to cut, turning it into noodles is a piece of cake with the Inspiralizer. My friend, Ali, designed and sent me this particular spiralizer, and what makes it better than others I’ve tried is that it has counter clamps to secure the appliance to your countertop– so you can use both hands to push tough vegetables through the blades. (Butternut squash is one of the few veggies that I’ve needed to use the second handle for– the added pressure makes a huge difference!)
To speed up your preparation, all you have to do to get this dish started is thinly slice the onion and mushrooms ahead of time. (You’ll spend even less time on this dish if you can find mushrooms that are already pre-sliced.) While the onion is sautéing, that’s when I usually take the time to spiralize the squash– so I don’t spend any more time in the kitchen than I have to.
All together, this dish takes less than 30 minutes to throw together, for a healthy weeknight meal. As written the dish is vegan (and even Whole30 friendly!) and serves roughly two people, but feel free to add your favorite protein to bulk it up a bit more.
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Butternut “Pasta” with Mushrooms and Sage
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 (3 pound) butternut squash, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon freshly minced sage leaves
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used Baby Bella)
2 cups curly kale, chopped, with tough stems removed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, and sauté the onion until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
While the onion is cooking, cut the “bulb” end of the squash off (where the seeds are found) and set it aside. You are going to spiralize the long part of the squash, as pictured above, so when shopping make sure you select a butternut squash that is on the longer side so you get the most noodles possible. Run the peeled squash through your spiralizer to create spaghetti-like “noodles,” and set them aside for a moment. If the noodles are too long, you may want to chop them a couple times to make them more manageable. Also, if you’d like to include the remaining bulb-part of the squash in this dish, cube it and set it aside with the noodles at this point, too. (I saved mine to roast for the future.)
Once the onion is soft, add in the garlic, sage, and mushrooms, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add in the butternut squash noodles, kale, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt and then cover the pot to let the vegetables cook until tender, about 10 minutes. (Increase the heat to medium if the water doesn’t start simmering as soon as it hits the pan– you want the veggies to steam while covered.) Stir occasionally to make sure the noodles aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once tender, season with additional salt, if desired, and freshly ground black pepper and serve warm. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , thinly sliced
- 1 (3 pound) butternut squash, peeled
- 2 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced sage leaves
- 8 ounces mushrooms , sliced (I used Baby Bella)
- 2 cups curly kale , chopped, with tough stems removed
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, and sauté the onion until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
- While the onion is cooking, cut the "bulb" end of the squash off (where the seeds are found) and set it aside. You are going to spiralize the long part of the squash, as pictured above, so when shopping make sure you select a butternut squash that is on the longer side so you get the most noodles possible. Run the peeled squash through your spiralizer to create spaghetti-like "noodles," and set them aside for a moment. If you'd like to include the remaining bulb-part of the squash in this dish, cube it and set it aside with the noodles at this point, too. (I saved mine to roast later.)
- Once the onion is soft, add in the garlic and mushrooms, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add in the butternut squash noodles, kale, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt and then cover the pot to let the vegetables cook until tender, about 10 minutes. (Increase the heat to medium if the water doesn't start simmering as soon as it hits the pan-- you want the veggies to steam while covered.) Stir occasionally to make sure the noodles aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once tender, season with additional salt, if desired, and freshly ground black pepper and serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 357, Fat: 4g, Carbohydrates: 83g, Fiber: 16g, Protein: 9g
Note: If butternut squash isn’t easy to find, I have a feeling you could use sweet potato “noodles” as an alternative. As always, please leave a comment below letting us know what you try!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite healthy comfort food lately?
This recipe sounds delicious except I am not a big fan of kale. Substitutions? Maybe spinach? Thanks.
Great recipe. I made this the other day and it was delicious. I roasted the bulb portion of my squash with a little olive oil, salt an pepper, pureed it in my food processor and used it instead of pumpkin in your vegan Tuscan pumpkin pasta sauce recipe which is my other new favorite. For those who can’t have mushrooms, I’m thinking you could maybe substitute with turnip instead. Just an idea.
I’ve made this twice now and absolutely love it. Instead of water though I added white wine and loved what it did to the flavor. I also topped it with roasted pecans, so yummy. I also doubled the mushrooms. Thank you!
This was delicious and filling! I added some dried Italian seasoning, extra Garlic and used 1 teaspoon of dried sage. I also doubled the mushrooms since we love them using baby bellas and shiitakes…. so good, thanks!
i have literally LOVED every recipe of your’s i’ve made – and repeat them often! however this one just didn’t wow me. i used dried sage (halved because that’s what google told me to do when using dried vs fresh) but it really just seemed to overpower the dish. not sure what else i could have done wrong ??
Dried herbs can be really overpowering in flavor– I wouldn’t use more than 1/2 teaspoon in this recipe, maybe even only 1/4 teaspoon, as its crucial that the flavor of the fresh ingredients shine through.
oh, well no wonder! i’ll have to try it again 🙂
wow that spiralizer looks pretty efficient, love the squash substitute for pasta, I still feel bloated from December and pasta won’t help! Thank you for this recipe!
I bought the Inspiralizer you recommended. Shipped in 2 days on Amazon Prime! I can’t wait to make this.
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese took it over the top! It was my first time spiralizing a butternut squash, and it turned out great!
This looks amazing Megan!! Going to make this today. Wonder if sweet potato would work too?? LOVE your sweet potato lentil stew OMGosh So darn delish!!!!
Yes, I think that would work, too! They might cook a bit faster than the squash, so just be sure to check as you go. 😉
Sounds delicious! i have all the ingredients and plan to make this tonight (with a sprinkle of cashew parm, yum). Thank you for the inspiring recipes!