Love butternut squash but hate to prep and chop? Fret not. Check out how to cook butternut squash in the Instant Pot with minimal chopping and how to make this delicious vegan and gluten-free butternut squash pasta sauce in Instant Pot.
Butternut Squash Recipes:
I love cooking fresh seasonal produce. One of my favorite fall produce is butternut squash. Even though it is available throughout the year, you get the best ones from fall through winter. I love to add butternut squash in my soups, stews, and South Indian curries and gravies also. You can find quite a few butternut squash recipes on my blog, and here they are:
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegan Butternut Squash Coconut Milk Soup
- Olan – Cowpeas and Squash Stew
- Grilled Butternut Squash
And it’s time for the butternut squash sauce for pasta.
How To Cook Butternut Squash in Instant Pot?
I admit prepping butternut squash is quite daunting. It’s a little challenging to cut this thick veggie. But now, with this Instant Pot method, you don’t need to worry. Wait, Instant Pot is not going to chop the vegetable. We are going to steam it in Instant Pot and then cut or puree it.
For Sauces and Puree:
If you are planning to make butternut squash sauce or puree for toddlers, then this is the best way to do it.
- Trim the top edge of the butternut squash and cut it into two halves, lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds and the loose orange strands/fibers. Now pressure cook these halves for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot and release the pressure naturally. Let it cool and then scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. You might get little skin here and there, but as it is well cooked, it is no harm.
- You can also peel the skin before steaming. But I prefer cooking with the skin and scooping out the flesh.
- Mash the cooked butternut squash and use it for different recipes.
For Curries:
To chop the butternut squash into cubes for South Indian style curries or gravies, you can follow the above method, but instead of cooking for 15 minutes, prepare for 5 to 6 six minutes in Instant Pot and release the pressure after 10 minutes. In this way, the veggie is soft but firm, but it makes it easy to chop.
With the cooked butternut squash, you can make different recipes. Right from soups to toddler food to this pasta sauce, the options are endless. You can add more vegetable broth and seasoning to the butternut squash puree and turn it into a low carb soup or add coconut milk to make a rich and creamy soup. But now I am going to show you how to make the pasta sauce with butternut squash.
Pasta Sauce With Butternut Squash:
You can make the butternut squash pasta sauce quite easily. Let me tell you; this pasta sauce is dairy-free. It’s vegan and also gluten-free.
I cooked the mashed butternut squash along with some onion and garlic. Then seasoned it with my favorite spices – chipotle chili flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and of course, black pepper. I know chipotle chili flakes and Italian seasoning is an unusual combo, but trust me, it is very delicious. The chipotle chili flakes help to balance the sweetness of the butternut squash. Of course, you can add cayenne pepper or any other chili powder of your choice. You can customize this recipe according to your preference.
A Perfect Meal Prep Dish:
You can prepare this sauce as part of your meal prep as well. You can make this well ahead and refrigerate, and when required, cook the pasta and add the sauce. If you are interested to know how to cook the pasta in Instant Pot, then check my spinach pesto pasta or carrot sauce pasta or sweet potato pasta recipes.
Now without any further ado, here is how I made the butternut squash pasta sauce recipe. You can check the video here.
Step 1: Cooking the Butternut Squash
- Trim the top edge of the butternut squash and cut into two halves lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds and the loose orange strands/fibers.
- Add one cup of water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot and place the trivet. Now place the butternut squash inside the inner pot like below.
- Close the lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position.
- Now cook this at high-pressure manual mode for 15 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Step 2: Scooping out the Flesh and Mashing
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the Instant Pot and let the butternut squash cool.
- Then remove it from the pot and scoop the flesh and discard the skin. You might get little skin here and there, but as it is well cooked, it is no harm. Now mash the scooped out flesh.
Step 3: Preparing the Pasta Sauce
- Drain the water from the Instant Pot and wipe it dry.
- Now set the Instant Pot in the saute mode, and when the display shows “HOT,” add the olive oil. After 10 to 15 seconds, add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute for two to three minutes.
- Then add the mashed butternut squash and then the seasonings – Italian seasoning, chipotle chili flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and mix it thoroughly.
- At this stage, you can add one more cup of water and mix it well.
- Let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. And that’s it. Butternut Squash pasta sauce is ready. Serve it with your favorite cooked pasta.
Recipe Notes-
- The butternut squash I used was weighing 2 pounds. I used the entire mashed butternut squash for the sauce. But you can use it as required and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
- Instead of plain water, you can add vegetable broth for more flavor.
- Adjust the liquid according to your sauce consistency preference.
- You can peel the skin of butternut squash before steaming.
- Instead of chipotle chili flakes, you can use cayenne pepper or smoked paprika or red chili powder. Or you can skip this and add extra black pepper.
- As always, adjust the salt and other spices according to your preference.
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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce | Vegan & Gluten-Free
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash approx 2 lb
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup Onion chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1.5 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Chipotle Chili Flakes
- 1.25 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground.
- 1.5 cups water
Instructions
Step 1: Cooking the Butternut Squash
- Trim the top edge of the butternut squash and cut into two halves lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds and the loose orange strands/fibers.
- Add one cup of water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot and place the trivet. Now place the butternut squash inside the inner pot like below.
- Close the lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position.
- Now cook this at high-pressure manual mode for 15 minutes and release the pressure naturally.
Step 2: Scooping out the Flesh and Mashing
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the Instant Pot and let the butternut squash cool.
- Then remove it from the pot and scoop the flesh and discard the skin. You might get little skin here and there, but as it is well cooked, it is no harm. Now mash the scooped out flesh.
Step 3: Preparing the Pasta Sauce
- Drain the water from the Instant Pot and wipe it dry.
- Now set the Instant Pot in the saute mode, and when the display shows "HOT," add the olive oil. After 10 to 15 seconds, add the chopped onion and garlic. Saute for two to three minutes.
- Then add the mashed butternut squash and then the seasonings - Italian seasoning, chipotle chili flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and mix it thoroughly.
- At this stage, you can add one more cup of water and mix it well.
- Let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. And that's it. Butternut Squash pasta sauce is ready. Serve it with your favorite cooked pasta.
Video
Notes
- The butternut squash I used was weighing 2 pounds. I used the entire mashed butternut squash for the sauce. But you can use it as required and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
- Instead of plain water, you can add vegetable broth for more flavor.
- Adjust the liquid according to your sauce consistency preference.
- You can peel the skin of butternut squash before steaming.
- Instead of chipotle chili flakes, you can use cayenne pepper or smoked paprika or red chili powder. Or you can skip this and add extra black pepper.
- As always, adjust the salt and other spices according to your preference.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: Earlier posted this recipe in 2015. I have updated the recipe with new pictures and with the instant pot version.
