Fall flavors can be so fun, but it doesn’t stop at special coffee drinks and pumpkin desserts! This savory fall pasta sauce recipe uses some of those delicious autumn harvest vegetables in a creative way. Roasted butternut squash, seasonal pumpkin, fresh carrots, onion, and garlic meld together to create this delicious, and might I say beautiful, fall pasta. Keep reading to learn how to make it in just a few simple steps!

A Savory Way to Use Pumpkin and Butternut Squash

While I could eat pumpkin desserts all fall long, this year I was looking for a way to put a savory spin on my pumpkin obsession. Using pumpkin in a dinner recipe was brand new to me, but now I believe that this will be an annual fall staple in our home.

It’s also one of those meals that tastes just as good leftover as it does the day you make it! Some of the leftover days I even ate it twice. It’s that good.

Supplies Needed

Measuring cups and spoons: I use these measuring cups and these measuring spoons.
Spatula: You can use a wood spatula or a silicone spatula, whatever you prefer!
Baking sheet: Use a baking sheet for roasting the vegetables.
Pot for cooking: Use either a pot for the stovetop, or a slow cooker.
A way to puree the sauce: Use a handheld vegetable masher for chunkier sauce, or use either a blender, food processor, or immersion blender for smoother sauce.

Ingredients

Butternut squash
Carrots
Onion
Coconut oil
Garlic
Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
Pumpkin (canned or fresh)
Chicken broth: I use my homemade bone broth.
Italian seasoning: Try my homemade Italian seasoning blend.
Paprika
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Half and half (either store-bought, or half milk and half cream)
For serving: fresh cooked pasta and (optional) shaved parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place butternut squash, carrots, and onion on a lined baking sheet. If using fresh diced pumpkin, add this to the baking sheet as well. If using canned pumpkin, save it for a later step.

Drizzle the vegetables with coconut oil, and toss to coat. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Add the minced garlic to the baking sheet, and continue to bake for 10 additional minutes. Remove from the oven.

To either a slow cooker or a pot on the stovetop, add the roasted vegetables from previous steps, fresh or canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin (if you didn’t use fresh in the previous step), chicken broth, Italian seasoning, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

For Stovetop: Simmer gently over low heat until the vegetables are soft, the liquid has reduced down, and the flavors are well melded. Stir occasionally. You can add a splash of water or additional broth as needed to prevent the sauce from over-thickening and burning.

For Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the vegetables are soft, the liquid has reduced down, and the flavors are well melded. Stir once about halfway through.

Next, add the half and half and stir to combine.

For chunkier sauce, use a handheld vegetable masher to mash the sauce into the desired consistency.

For smoother sauce (my favorite) puree the sauce using either a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.

Finally, salt to taste.

Serve the fall pasta sauce over a bed of fresh-cooked pasta (I like fettuccini), and top with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Substitutions & Additions

This is one of those recipes that has so many different variations that you could try! You can add and/or substitute almost any harvest vegetable for the ones in the recipe!

Substitute a sweet potato for either the butternut squash or the pumpkin.
Substitute acorn squash for the butternut squash.
Try adding other seasonally available produce, such as cranberries for extra zing! This would make a great Thanksgiving dish too.