On my morning walks, I pass by pumpkin patches sitting under the watchful eyes of scarecrows. The small local farms in our small town here in Southern Vermont attract families with young children, intent on picking out the perfect canvas for their seasonal Jack O’ Lantern.
With butternut squash currently in abundance, I wanted to see how it would turn out if I spiralized it and turned it into noodles. To my surprise, it turned out so good that I decided it should be on the blog.
I also thought that it would be a great vegetarian side dish with the holidays coming up, especially if you have vegetarian guests coming. Made with just a few ingredients, this Butternut Squash Noodles recipe is bursting with autumn flavors and ready in less than 20 minutes.
How To Make Squash Noodles
Before I get into the recipe, I want to cover how to turn butternut squash into “noodles”. There are basically two methods you can use: First, with a spiralizer, a kitchen tool that turns firm vegetables into ribbons or noodles. Second, using a julienne peeler.
How to Spiralize Butternut Squash
If you are new to spiralizing vegetables and in the market for a spiralizer, this is the one I own and recommend.
When choosing your butternut squash, look for one with a long and thick neck. The bottom part (where the seeds are), called the bulbous part, isn’t ideal for spiralizing. I reserve the bottom part for roasting later on.
To make spiralized squash noodles, peel the neck of the butternut squash and trim off the top.
Then, using the thickest noodle blade, process the butternut into noodles.
Since butternut squash is harder than other vegetables like zucchini and sweet potatoes, it is important to make sure that the squash is securely pressed onto the prongs before you start turning the wheel to turn it into noodles.
If preferred, trim the long squash noodles into shorter lengths so they are easier to cook and eat later on.
Watch how to spiralize butternut squash (a quick video)
How To Make Butternut Squash Noodles Without A Spiralizer
It is not as convenient as using a spiralizer, but you can still make this dish using two methods:
- Use a julienne peeler: A julienne peeler is a good tool, but to be honest, this will require a bit of an arm workout. Additionally, the “noodles” you get with a julienne peeler will be thinner than squash noodles made with a spiralizer. As a result, they will cook quicker.
- Buy it at the store: Lucky for us, nowadays most grocery stores spiralized vegetables. Available vegetables usually differ by season, but I can easily find butternut squash noodles in the fall. Most of the time, they are perfectly portioned for two servings.
How To Cook Butternut Squash Noodles
Below I break down how to cook butternut squash spirals using three different methods. No matter which method you choose, this butternut squash noodles recipe has two folds: cook the noodles and season them.
Sauteé on the Stove Top – How To Cook Spiralized Butternut Squash
The process of cooking this squash noodles on the stove top recipe has 2 folds.
First, you sauteé a small chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the squash noodles and sauté them gently for 7-10 minutes. I recommend using kitchen tongs, as they make it easier to turn them as they cook.
You will know that they are fully cooked when they are softer and smaller in volume.
Second, you add in the flavoring agents. I wanted to keep this recipe super simple, so I went with toasted walnuts, a touch of Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley to finish.
If you are making this for your holiday table, you can swap fresh parsley with fresh sage.
Boil Squash Noodles Like Pasta – How to Boil Squash Noodles
Alternatively, you can boil the butternut squash noodles (like spaghetti) in a pot of salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
Timing depends on the thickness of your noodles, but I recommend keeping a close eye on them, as they cook fairly quickly.
If you decide to go with the boiling method and want to use the flavoring agents I used in my squash noodles recipe here, I recommend cooking the onion in a little olive oil separately and adding the boiled squash noodles to the pot at the end.
This way, the noodles will be coated with the onions, which will provide a moist surface for parmesan cheese to stick to later when you sprinkle it on.
Roast Butternut Squash Noodles in The Oven
Another method to cook squash noodles is to roast them in the oven.
If you go this route, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, spread your spiralized butternut squash on the sheet pan, drizzle it with a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. It should take no longer than 7 to 9 minutes for them to fully roast and soften.
How long to cook butternut squash noodles
The timing depends on the thickness of your noodles and the method you decide to use to cook them.
The thicker they are, the longer they take to cook. If you use a spiralizer like I did (or buy them already spiralized from the supermarket), they take 7-10 minutes to cook over medium-high heat on the stovetop. I recommend continually turning the noodles using tongs to make sure they cook evenly.
If you decide to cook them like spaghetti, they cook faster, 3-5 minutes for al dente. If you decide to boil them, keep a close eye on them as it can get mushy so quickly.
Other vegetable noodle recipes you might like
- Learn How to Cook Zucchini Noodles – A recipe with only 5 ingredients and ready in 15 minutes.
- Skinny Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles – Classic shrimp scampi recipe made with zoodles instead of pasta.
- Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai – Love Asian flavors? Well, this vegan and gluten-free pad thai recipe is out of this world. A reader favorite.
Other squash recipes you might like
- Butternut Squash Lentil Stew
- Stuffed Acorn Squash Vegan
- Acorn Squash Salad
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash and Bulgur Wheat Salad
- Ina Garten Butternut Squash Salad
- Delicata Squash Roasted
6-Ingredient Butternut Squash Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 cups spiralized Butternut Squash Noodles, from two 10-12 inch butternut squashes
- Salt*
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Add in the butternut squash noodles and cook for 7-10 minutes (timing depends on the thickness of your noodles). I recommend using kitchen tongs to gently turn them as they cook. You will know that they are cooked when they soften and get smaller in volume.
- Add in the walnuts and give it a large gentle stir.
- To Serve: Divide the cooked noodles into bowls and sprinkle each bowl with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley, if preferred.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great easy recipe to follow.
Anxious to try your salads!! New ideas are always welcome! Mahalo, B Fuqua
Thankfully, I have SO many salad recipes on my blog. Thanks for coming by.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I do have to ask — I love that speckled bowl so much — could you share what the company you bought it/them from is?
Hi Marina,
Thanks for your kind words. That plate was a gift from a potter that I met years ago. He made it for me as a part of a special order.
Sadly, I no longer have his contact so I am not sure if he is still doing pottery.
I am sorry I am no help.
A perfect recipe on all counts! Clear instructions, lovely photos and superb and result.
With the exception of scaling back ingredients to what I had on hand and because I was serving 2, I prepared the recipe following it exactly for the sautéed method.
Sidebar to that; if you’ve done all the work of testing, photographing, posting etc, then we should make as per your recipe; if I read a recipe and immediately tweak it, I’m doing you a disservice and should have moved on.
Happy I did, my husband and I loved it.
The second time, I did play with it a bit: swapped in pecans for the walnuts, omitted the parmesan and drizzled with a kiss of maple syrup, a generous grating of nutmeg and a dusting of maple sugar. Yum
About boiling the squash noodles; I use them to stretch regular pasta, tossing them in the pot for the last few minutes of cooking. A time and calorie saver!
Many thanks.
Carolyn
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Carolyn.
Had abdominal surgery. I have to slowly introduce food back into my digestive system. No meats/nuts /breads. So I was very happy to find this recipe! Tastes great! I bought the spiral butternut squash tho.
YAY! This is music to my ears Mary. Thanks for letting me know.
Just made this and wow, delicious! I undercooked the butternut squash as I was afraid it would be mush (that’s on me though). Next time will cook a little longer and may try using burnt butter vs olive oil with a bit of sage. Definitely great as is though.
Hi Ashley,
Thanks so SO much for taking the time to leave a review.
I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it.
Cheers!
How long do you cook the walnuts after putting them in?
Hi Andrea,
I would do about 1-2 minutes. I hope this helps.
Ice
Where’s the actual recipe?
Hi Carol,
What do you mean? The recipe is at the end of the post.
I checked it from several computers/phones and I am seeing it in there.
Can you not see it?
I just made this for dinner. What a treat! When I first read your recipe I didn’t think that it would all that good, but oh boy was I wrong?! This was such a delicious low carb dinner. Even my husband who is more of a meat & potato guy loved it, which says a lot.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi Caroline,
This is music to my ears. I am thrilled to hear that you and your husband liked it.
Mine is a meat and potato kind of guy, but he likes this vegetable noodle dish as well.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a review.
Best,
Ice
Fabulous recipe. I had been wanting to try butternut squash noodles, but had no clue what to due with them. Fabulous meal for whole family and my vegetarian daughter was happy I made a meal with her in mind.
This is music to my ears. Thank you so much Greg. So happy to hear that you and your daughter liked it.
Cheers!
Super excited to try this recipe! I was also excited to see you mention Vermont, only to find out you’re about 45 minutes from me. We’re near Fair Haven. Manchester is a beautiful area.
YAY! Fair Haven is (relatively) close for Vermont 🙂
I hope you like it as much as we do. Cheers!
Like the recipe but I’m not sure your nutrition information is correct. The fat grams seem high. Thank you.
Hey Pam,
Thanks for your input.
I use a nutrition label generator called Nutrifox. To generate a label, I copy and paste the ingredients into a field and it automatically creates it for me. I am assuming that the fat content is high due to the last minute addition of the cheese. If that is an issue, you can always use less or simply omit it.
I hope this helps.
Thanks.
I think the walnuts add a significant amount of fat also. I believe there are 34 g fat in 1/2 c walnuts. So those could easily be omitted, but they really add something to this dish!
You are right Amy, but they are considered good fats, no?
I agree with you, they really add to the deliciousness of the overall recipe. 🙂
Absolutely incredible dish
So glad to hear you liked it Cathlene. Thank you!
I love my spiralizer. Making butternut squash noodles is a genius idea. Love!
I am new to making butternut squash noodles too. They are so good.
This looks really good! Perfect for dinner any night of the week!
Thanks Toni!
Simple delicious flavors! This is a fabulous meatless meal!
Can’t agree more. Thanks for stopping by Liz.
Such a simple dish yet with so much flavor!
I love the simplicity of it too. So happy to hear that you liked it.
This is such a beautiful meal!
So glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by Jennifer.
So many fabulous tips here Ayse and so beautifully captured! I love the flavor of butternut and that you’ve noodled them, even better! So much texture in this recipe too. I know I’d love it!
So happy to hear that you liked it my friend. I think this would be a great recipe for a vegetarian dinner. I hope you’ll try it some time. Cheers!
I loved it! Really flavorful! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
So glad to hear that. Thanks Darly.
Holy Mackerel! I made it and my family all loved it. Modified by 1st sauteeing onion, garlic and basil with a mix of pure olive oil and Sesame oil… Added squash… Turned up the heat and grated fresh lemon… Added 2 tablespoons of oil and finished with grated parmesan. Holy gawd; so good! The squash stayed El Dante and I never missed eating a pasta noodle. PERIOD!
Oh Nicole.. This is music to my ears. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.
I like your photos very much. Colours, design is full of energy. Thanks
So happy that you liked it Darly.