Baked Butternut Squash and Gouda Tortellini is a super simple and delicious fall vegetarian pasta dish! 

Note: The photos and video on this post have been updated on November 2, 2018.  The original post was posted in August 2014, and the post content remains the same.  

Coming home from the Boundary Waters (wayyyy Northern Minnesota for all you non-Midwesterners) Marc and I had every travelers nightmare happen – our car broke down.  We were lucky in that we were able to pull off onto a gravel road and not have to sit on the side of the interstate. We were also very lucky that we were actually in a spot with cell reception, but the car, unfortunately, had to be towed.

Despite our unfortunate luck, we did have some pretty amazing things happen to us that night, all because of the kindness of people.  First, no less than four cars stopped to see if we were okay and needed help.  One older gentlemen stopped and helped us for at least 25 minutes to try to get our car back up and running.

Long story short, a very nice local gave us a ride so we were closer to meeting Marc’s parents.  He totally didn’t have to, and did anyways.  What a guy!

Enough about our sad/happy/heart warming/tiring end to our camping trip…let’s talk about the foooood!  This Baked Butternut Squash and Gouda Tortellini is evvvvverything, you guys.  Don’t you want to just dive head first into this pan of  creamy, cheesy, carb-loaded butternut squash baked pasta?!  That’s what I thought.

We may have jumped the gun a bit buying our weight in butternut squash a week ago at the store.  I couldn’t even help it…I got so excited at the thought of squash and pumpkin season that I sort of blacked out and all of a sudden I was in my car with a load of squash in the trunk.

How To Make Baked Butternut Squash and Gouda Tortellini

So yes.  This pasta.  First of all: SO good.  Second: Easy peasy!  Seriously, like 3 steps easy.  Let’s break it down.

Step 1. Roast the squash.

Step 2. Put squash and vegetable broth in blender and puree to make the sauce.

Step 3. Combine sauce with pasta and (LOTS of) cheese and bake.

Okay that last step might be two steps combined in one but still – it’s EASY!

This was the perfect start to the season of comfort food, casseroles, and squash.  The butternut squash sauce is simple but gets a ton of flavor from the squash, onions, and garlic that I had to stop myself from licking the blender blade clean.  #foodbloggerproblems.  Then I layered Gouda cheese between the two layers of pasta and then piled even more on top for maximum cheesiness.  Seriously, so good you guys.

So tell me – are you ready for all of the squash and pumpkin or are you still loving peaches and tomatoes?