Roasted butternut squash noodles are a vibrant and nutritious fall side dish. They are so easy to make and need only the slightest bit of seasoning to really shine. I love them “naked” as a light lunch or side dish, but they also make for an excellent seasonal pasta substitution. Best of all, this entire dish is ready in just 20 minutes.
Welcome to latest edition of “How to pretend it’s a noodle so my kid will eat it”. Our test case this time ’round is the sweet, the nutritious, the delectable…butternut squash!
Spoiler alert: butternut squash noodles, especially when slathered with butter and crispy sage, are freaking awesome. That being said, they are decidedly not kid friendly (at least not my kid). #mamatried
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Butternut Squash Noodles Recipe Notes
Let’s start with our butternut squash selection. For noodles, you want to choose a squash with a very long neck and smaller “tail” (that’s the bulbous end). You’ll start by chopping off the end, and setting it aside for another use (I used mine to make a batch of white bean ragout).
Trim the top from the neck, and then peel. You can either use a very sharp knife to peel the skin or a vegetable peeler.
After that, it’s noodle time. If you have a spiralizer, then go to town! I don’t own one (I know) so I used my handheld julienne peeler, which takes a wee bit longer but is just as effective. And if you don’t have one of those guys, just shave the squash into ribbons with your vegetable peeler (like I did with this rainbow carrot salad). It totally gets the job done, and it’s a really pretty presentation.
Toss those gorgeous butternut noodles with some avocado or olive oil, and then spread them onto a sheet pan to get their roast on. Total roasting time will depend on the thickness of your noodles and how densely you pack them onto the sheet pan.
I spread mine between two pans in a thin, single layer and they took exactly 7 minutes (stirring once halfway through). You want the finished noodles to be soft, but still retain a bite – similar to the consistency of al dente pasta.
While the noodles are roasting, you’ll make a quick butter and sage sauce. Butter makes everything better. You’ll simple melt some good quality butter (I like Kerrygold or local grass fed butter) over medium heat, and then add in a big handful of sage leaves. Sauté the sage until it’s crispy and crinkled, then toss in the butternut noodles. So easy. So elegant. And crazy delicious.
I served these as-is for lunch with a simple side salad, and it was fast, easy, satisfying and hella nutritious. You can treat butternut squash noodles the same way you’d treat any other noodle since they hold up well under a variety of heavier sauces. Noodle away my friends!
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Butternut Squash Noodles with Sage Butter
These butternut squash noodles are a delicious, nutritious, and vibrant pasta substitution. Grain free, gluten free, and ready in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash Noodles
- 1 whole butternut squash
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Crispy Sage Butter
- 4 tbsp high quality butter like Kerrygold
- 4 tbsp fresh sage julienned
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400*.
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Slice the short, round bulbous end off the squash and reserve for another purpose. Trim the top from the neck (long side), then peel the skin off the squash neck using a vegetable peeler or very sharp knife.
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Using a handheld julienne peeler, julienne the neck into long squash noodles. Alternatively, create the noodles with a spiralizer.
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Toss the noodles with the avocado or olive oil, then spread between two sheet pans in a single layer.
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Transfer to the oven, and roast the squash until tender and al dente, about 7 minutes, stirring the noodles halfway through.
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While the noodles are roasting, heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until it melts. Add the sage and saute, stirring continuously, until the sage turns a deep green and starts to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the sage butter and saute, stirring continuously, until the garlic is fragrant and starting to brown around the edges, 1-2 minutes.
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Remove the butternut squash noodles from the over and season with salt and pepper. Add the roasted squash noodles to the pan and toss to coat in the sage butter. Saute the noodles in the sage butter, tossing with tongs, for an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Locally Sourced Ingredients:
Butternut squash and sage sourced from The Common Market
Trickling Springs Creamery grass fed butter
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