You are going to love these flavorful sautéd butternut squash noodles! Sautéd with leeks in a brown sage butter sauce, it makes an incredible side dish. Give this easy gluten free side dish recipe a try! It is ready in just 15 minutes.
Grab a peeler, or even better, have your kids make the butternut squash noodles! If you love butternut as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious gluten free winter squash recipes!
I love the fall season! Winter squash is at its peak sweetness! Check out some of my very favorite gluten free delicata squash brownies recipe! You will find all types of recipes from breakfast, all the way to dessert!
Have you seen those beautiful salads made with thin cucumber ribbons? Why not try it with butternut squash? Grab a vegetable peeler, it is much easier than you think! I hope you love this easy butternut noodles recipe!
I cooked this squash in a delicious brown sage butter and sage to accent the buttery flavor of the squash. This easy squash recipe is the perfect side dish for any occasion, and it is fancy enough to serve at a party.
Why this recipe is great:
Butternut squash is such a versatile vegetable! It is great in both sweet and savory recipes. Kids love to help make this recipe and when kids are more involved, they eat a bigger variety of foods!!
This delicious buttery side dish is ready in under 15 minutes!
Ingredient notes:
- Butternut squash - you can buy any size of butternut. Just get one large enough to make a lot of noodles.
- Butter - the way the butter browns adds a lot of flavor. You can substitute ghee, but vegan butter will not brown the same way.
- Sage - fresh sage is best!
- Leeks - I love their subtle flavor. If you can't find leeks, feel free to swap sweet onion.
🔪 Step by step recipe directions:
Step 1: I used a vegetable peeler to remove the rind from the butternut squash. Then use the peeler to make long ribbons of squash. It goes pretty quickly once you get going :-).
If you prefer your squash noodles to be more spaghetti-like, use a spiralizer. They make a great low carb spaghetti substitute!
Step 2: You could use a spiralizer as well if it has a ribbon blade. You will end up with a large bowl of butternut noodles. I filled a bowl of these ribbons, or butternut noodles, peeling the squash until I got close to the center.
Step 3: The best way to cook squash noodles is to pan sauté them. I like to do this by making a brown sage butter, sauté the leeks with sage and butter until they begin to caramelize together. You want the butter to get brown, almost to the point of burnt butter!
It sounds weird, but trust me...that brown sage butter will add a whole new level to your butternut squash!
Step 4: Add the squash and sage and cook until the squash noodles are tender, but not mushy. You almost want these butternut squash ribbons to be al dente.
What I like to do is taste test after 4 minutes of cooking. If they are still a little crisp, remove them from the pan. These squash noodles are thin and will continue to cook for a few minutes in the serving dish.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can freeze squash noodles, but you need to take a few steps to make sure they don't get gross. First, after making the squash noodles, pat them dry with a paper towel. Then freeze them uncooked so that they will remain firm.
Cooked squash noodles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days uncooked. I like to place a dry paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb moisture.
You most definitely can use other winter squash (and summer!) to make noodles. Here are a few ideas: acorn squash, delicata squash, or even zucchini! Use zucchini squash noodles to make a grain-free lasagna!
More winter squash recipes:
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Butternut Squash Noodles with Brown Butter Sage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash use vegetable peeler to make ribbons
- 1 leek washed and sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- With a vegetable peeler, remove the rind from the butternut squash.
- Once the rind is removed, continue to peel ribbons of squash until you get close to the center.
- Slice leek. I cut it in half lengthwise then cut both vertically to create U shaped pieces of leek.
- In a large cast iron skillet, heat butter with leeks on medium heat.
- Allow leeks to cook until almost caramelized and butter is slightly brown.
- Add squash ribbons and sage.
- Saute until squash is slightly tender.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Use a vegetable peeler to make the squash peels vertically along the length of the butternut squash. Stop when you get to the seeds and gooey inside.
- You can use ghee instead of butter. I do not recommend vegan butter because it doesn't brown the same.
- These squash noodles will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Cindy @ Hun... What's for Dinner?
This looks like a delicious way to prepare butternut squash!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Cindy 🙂
Laura
I love sage with winter squash--and this looks so elegant! Great job!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Laura 🙂
GiGi Eats
DROOLING SO BADLY RIGHT NOW!!!!
Helene D'Souza
that's such a cool idea to make ribbons of the butternut squash. It's a different approach and the flavoring of butter leek and sage makes it a perfect side. Thanks for sharing!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you Helene.