Creamy Golden Squash Pasta with Parmesan

This Creamy Golden Squash Pasta with Parmesan is a delicious recipe to make with all the summer squash or zucchini you have on hand right now. The squash is cooked down and then blended into a flavorful puree. Parmesan cheese is melted into the creamy squash sauce, and then pasta is added. It has such great taste and is perfect for an easy summer dinner!

If your garden is growing an abundance of yellow summer squash right now, this Creamy Golden Squash Pasta with Parmesan is the recipe for you. (And if your own garden isn’t full of them, the Farmers Market or local grocery is sure to be.) This summary pasta recipe is healthy, flavorful, and packed with about 6 cups of squash.

I planted my garden completely from seed this year, and so far, I’m mostly just getting lots of big, fat, yellow summer squash.  Last week, I posted my favorite simple summer squash recipe, and today I’m highlighting it again! Today, we are turning yellow squash into a thick and creamy pasta sauce–and it’s so good.

Creamy Golden Squash Pasta Recipe Ingredients

• Squash – I obviously used only yellow squash for this recipe because I happened to have a couple of big ones and wanted my sauce to be a nice golden-yellow color. You could also use just zucchini and have a green colored sauce, or you could use both yellow squash and zucchini.  
• Onion and Garlic – The onion and garlic are cooked with the squash, adding extra aromatics to the sauce.
• Pasta – I love this rotini pasta for a creamy, cheesy pasta recipe. Any shape or size of pasta will work, though. Gluten-free pasta can easily be used in this recipe.
• Cheese – I used freshly grated parmesan cheese for this recipe because I liked the squash and parmesan flavor combination. Parmesan is a little salty and nutty, which worked well here. Any kind of shredded cheese can be used. I have suggestions in the FAQ section about how to make this recipe vegan.
• Fresh Herbs – It’s summer, so naturally, I like to put fresh herbs into everything. I used fresh parsley here, but basil would be great, too. I only used the herbs as a garnish, but you could also blend some into your squash if you like.
• Salt and Pepper – Salt and pepper are the main seasonings in this recipe, so don’t be shy with them! Feel free to add any other seasonings that you like.

How To Make Summer Squash Pasta with Parmesan

1. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add pasta, turn the heat down and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining pasta. Set pasta aside until ready to use.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry your squash. Cut the top and bottom parts off and then dice your squash into about 1/2-inch cubes. If your squash is extra large, you may want to cut out some of the spongy, seedy middle part, so you’re mainly using the more flavorful part of the vegetable. That is totally an option, though!
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add about 3 teaspoons olive oil. Next, add your diced onion and cook for about 1 minute. Add the diced squash and minced garlic, as well as a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix everything up and let squash cook until almost all of the water has cooked out and squash is soft and starting to brown a little bit. It will take about 20 minutes, giving the squash much more flavor.
4. Add the cooked squash to a blender or food processor and turn on low. Slowly increase the speed and blend until the squash is pureed and smooth. Pour the pureed squash into a pot and turn over low heat. Add the shredded cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. 
5. Add the pasta back in and mix everything together well. If your sauce is very thick, you can thin it out by adding some of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top pasta with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Creamy Squash Pasta Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this creamy pasta recipe vegan? No, I did use regular parmesan cheese for this recipe, but it can easily be made vegan. To make this recipe vegan/dairy-free, you can substitute shredded vegan parmesan cheese, add a few Tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the squash sauce or just omit the cheese element altogether.
• Gluten-free pasta can easily be used to make this recipe gluten-free.
• Can zucchini be used instead of yellow squash? Yes! Zucchini can definitely be used in place of yellow summer squash. It will give you a pale-green-colored sauce rather than a golden one.
• Can a different cheese besides parmesan be used?  Yes, you can use any cheese you like for this recipe. You just want one that can easily melt into the creamy sauce.
• How long do leftovers last in the refrigerator? If stored in an airtight container, they should last about 4-5 days.  
• Re-heat leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP!

Looking For More Vegetarian Summer Pasta Recipes?

Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Feta Cheese

Herby Lemon Jalapeno Pasta with Crispy Chickpeas

Pesto Pasta with Broccoli and White Beans

Herby Parmesan Tomato Pasta Salad

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Creamy Golden Squash Pasta with Parmesan

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

This Creamy Golden Squash Pasta with Parmesan is a delicious pasta recipe to make with all the summer squash, or zucchini, you have on hand right now! The squash is cooked down and then blended into a flavorful puree. Parmesan cheese is melted into the creamy squash sauce and then pasta is added! It has such great taste and is perfect for an easy summer dinner!

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Ingredients

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• 1 lb pasta, your favorite bite sized pasta
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 6–7 cups diced yellow summer squash
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, or your favorite kind
• Salt and black pepper, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
• Freshly chopped parsley or basil for topping

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Instructions

1. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling.  Add pasta, turn the heat down and cook according to package directions.  Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining pasta.  Set pasta aside until ready to use.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry your squash.  Cut the top and bottom part off and then dice your squash into about 1/2 inch cubes.  If your squash is extra large, you may want to cut out some of the spongy, seedy middle part, so you’re mainly using the more flavorful part of the vegetable.  That is totally option though!
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add about 3 teaspoons olive oil.  Next, add in your diced onion and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the diced squash and minced garlic, as well as a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix everything up and let squash cook until almost all of the water has cooked out and squash is soft and starting to brown a little bit.  It will take about 20 minutes, but it gives the squash much more flavor.
4. Add cooked squash to a blender, or food processor, and turn on low.  Slowly turn speed up higher and blend until squash is pureed and smooth.  Pour the pureed squash into a pot and turn over low heat.  Add in the shredded cheese and cook until cheese is melted.
5. Add the pasta back in and mix everything together well.  If your sauce is very thick, you can thin it out by adding in some of the reserved pasta water.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and top pasta with fresh herbs.  Enjoy!

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: American