Sometimes, recipes are born out of necessity. My local market was sold out of a prepared butternut squash sauce, so I decided to make my own version. Of course, I had nothing to compared the taste to, but I’ll settle for “delicious” which is what I got.
This sauce uses butternut squash as the base, but adds in sautéed aromatics—similar to a classic mirepoix—to create a foundation of flavor. The red pepper gives it some body, and some tomato paste brings acidity without dominating and making it taste too tomato-y.
I served this over warmed zucchini noodles, but the possibilities are really endless!
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce—Paleo & Whole30
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (15 g) ghee
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 lb (454 g) butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tbsp (45 mL) tomato paste
- ~3/4 cup (177 mL) water
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, get the aromatic veggie base going. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the ghee. Add the onion, red pepper, celery and pinch of sea salt. Cook and stir until the veggies soften and lightly brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash cubes and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until the squash is tender. Stir a few times so nothing sticks. Turn off the heat and let the veggies cool for a few minutes.
- Then, add the veggies to a food processor or high speed blender with the tomato paste. Start with ½ cup (118 mL) water. Puree the veggies until they become a sauce. If it’s too thick, add water by the tablespoon. I found that ¾ cup (177 mL) water made a sauce that was somewhere between a thin soup and a thick puree. Of course, the moisture content of your veggies may vary so start with less and add more as you go.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and warm in a small pot before serving.
Notes
Double the batch and freeze the extras for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: Serves 3 to 4.
Click here to pin this!
Have a question? Leave it in the comments below!
The post Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Recipe: Paleo & Whole30 appeared first on Stupid Easy Paleo.
