A flavorful sage butter pasta, topped with maple-caramelized butternut squash, lots of Parmesan cheese, and crispy sage leaves. An easy Fall favorite that comes together quickly and is perfect for busy weeknight dinners! Vegetarian and gluten-free friendly.

A big bowl of bucatini pasta with a brown butter and sage sauce topped with caramelized butternut squash, fried sage leaves, and parmesan cheese.

A Simple Brown Butter and Sage Pasta

This easy pasta dish is an autumnal riff on a classic Northern Italian sage and brown butter sauce. I added some maple-caramelized butternut squash to give it a little more heft, and combined it with my favorite long pasta shape – bucatini.

A close up of bucatini pasta in a sage butter sauce topped with cubes of caramelized butternut squash.

Ingredients to Make Pasta with Sage Butter Sauce

  • pasta
  • butternut squash
  • butter and olive oil
  • maple syrup
  • sage
  • Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper

Find all the exact ingredients and recipe instructions in the recipe card, below.

A big bowl of bucatini pasta with a brown butter and sage sauce topped with caramelized butternut squash, fried sage leaves, and parmesan cheese.

More Fall Favorites with Butternut Squash:

If you make this sage butter pasta recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura

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A big bowl of bucatini pasta with a brown butter and sage sauce topped with caramelized butternut squash, fried sage leaves, and parmesan cheese.

Sage Butter Pasta with Caramelized Butternut Squash

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  • Author: Laura Bolton – Fork Knife Swoon
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2–4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Savory, Pasta
  • Method: Saute
  • Cuisine: Italian-inspired, American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

A flavorful sage butter pasta, topped with maple-caramelized butternut squash, lots of Parmesan cheese, and crispy sage leaves. An easy Fall favorite that comes together quickly and is perfect for busy weeknight dinners! Vegetarian and gluten-free friendly.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 oz dry pasta (bucatini, spaghetti, linguine, etc.)
  • 2 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1/2″)
  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup (113g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
  • 8–10 fresh sage leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • optional: 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously and add your pasta. Cook al dente, according to package directions, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the squash to the pan, drizzle with the maple syrup, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. Stir to combine, arranging the squash in a single, even layer as much as possible.
  4. Cook, without stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown and the squash softens. Stir, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until caramelized and fork-tender.
  5. Transfer the butternut squash to a plate, and tent lightly with foil to keep warm.
  6. Turn the burner down to medium, and add the butter to the skillet to melt. Once the butter begins to foam, add the sage leaves, and stir often until the foam lessens and the white milk solids begin to cook away. Watch the butter carefully – it will begin to deepen in color and little golden specs will appear at the bottom of the pan.
  7. Remove from the heat, and stir in the red pepper flakes, if using.
  8. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, and toss with the sage and brown butter sauce. Add the butternut squash and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper, to taste.
  9. Divide the pasta between bowls and top a big dusting of Parmesan and a few crispy sage leaves. Serve warm. Enjoy!!

Equipment

Notes

  • Note: By far the longest part of the prep time will be peeling and cubing the butternut squash (they can be a pain!). You can also do that in advance, or buy pre-cut squash at the market to make things easier!
  • Make it gluten-free: simply use a gluten-free pasta of your choice.

Keywords: sage butter sauce, brown butter pasta, butternut squash, maple, fresh sage, fall dinner