Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Bake (Gluten-Free)

This creamy butternut squash pasta bake is a shining example of vegan comfort food. Hearty, filling, and delicious, it can also be made completely gluten-free.

The roasted veg is blended with other ingredients to form a smooth and velvety sauce, which is combined with kale and the pasta of your choice. The whole lot is then topped off with a mix of blended nuts and seeds and baked in the oven until crispy and golden-brown.

Since you'll use the oven dish twice, the blender twice, and the same pot to cook the pasta and kale, this recipe helps to cut down on the washing up. It also keeps well in the fridge or freezer, so make a big batch and enjoy it for days or months to come.

For similar recipe ideas, check out this ultimate vegan lasagne and butternut squash risotto.

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Do you have to boil pasta for a pasta bake?

The simple answer to this is no. You can bake dried pasta in the oven provided there's enough liquid in the other ingredients or sauce. It'll just take longer to bake than if you pre-cook the pasta.

In this recipe, I use the oven to roast the veg first and so it makes sense to get the pasta and kale going during this time. That way, you reduce the overall cooking time of the pasta in the oven.

Can you eat butternut squash seeds?

Yes, you can eat the seeds from butternut squash and other varieties of winter squash. When roasted and seasoned, they make for a crunchy, nutritious, and delicious snack. Check out my recipe for how to roast any squash seeds.

Can you eat butternut squash skin?

When roasting butternut squash, you can absolutely eat the skin. If preparing it in a different way (e.g. boiling), you may want to peel the skin as it can be quite tough and takes a while to soften compared to the flesh.

With squash and pumpkins in general, the skin is usually perfectly edible. It's more a case of how tough that particular variety is and whether it actually tastes nice. Generally speaking, the smaller the squash, the better the skin is to eat.

If you like your squash with the skin on, I'd suggest also checking out this vegan butternut squash risotto.

How to make vegan butternut squash pasta bake

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Rinse the butternut squash and cut in half, leaving the skin on. Remove the tough parts of the stem and bottom end, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, and cut each half into 1-inch slices.

Drizzle the olive oil over a large oven dish, then add the sliced butternut squash, onion, and whole garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the veg is tender and lightly browned.

Note: Make sure this is a large dish with high sides as it's what you'll use for the pasta bake.

To a blender, add the mixed nuts/seeds, 2 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon of the dried sage, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until you have a fine crumbly mixture, being careful not to overdo it. Remove and set aside.

Cook the pasta and kale in a large pan of boiling water and cook for just over half the time specified on the pasta cooking instructions (around 6-7 minutes). After 6-7 minutes, drain the pasta and kale and set aside.

Remove the veg from the oven, transfer to the blender, and add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1½ teaspoons of dried sage, the plant-based milk or stock, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In the same large oven dish, add the drained pasta, kale, and blended butternut squash mix. Combine everything well in the oven dish, then sprinkle over the blended nut/seed mix.

Place in the oven and bake for around 25 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through and the top of the bake has started to turn golden-brown. Serve warm.

Serving suggestions

This vegan pasta bake is a well-rounded and filling meal, packed with veg, carbs, and protein. I'd therefore enjoy it as it is or with a simple side salad.

You could also add a few dashes of hot sauce or balsamic vinegar for a bit of tang, or top it off with some four-ingredient vegan parmesan.

Recipe FAQ

Variations and tips

• Quantity: 18 oz (500 grams) of dried pasta should provide 6 main servings of this dish, but it'll be more or less depending on your portion sizes.
• Pasta type: You can use any pasta you want for a pasta bake. I like varieties such as conchiglie (shells) or penne since they tend to hold the sauce well.
• Topping: I like the texture of the mixed nuts and seeds in this recipe, but you could also top off your pasta bake with some grated vegan cheese (or just omit the topping altogether).
• Plant-based milk: Unless you like the taste of a particular milk, I’d recommend using a fairly neutral one such as oat (my go-to), soya, or even cashew.
• Dijon mustard: Since Dijon mustard is traditionally made with white wine, it’s not always strictly vegan. That being said, I’ve seen several varieties around that are labelled vegan.

More vegan recipe ideas

If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:

• Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
• Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
• Ultimate Vegan Fish Pie
• Tempeh Bolognese
• Mushroom & Soy Mince Bolognese
• Easy Cheesy Pasta Sauce
• Vegan Cottage Pie
• Ultimate Vegan Haggis

You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.

Full recipe