Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Pasta Sauce for Kids

Name: Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Pasta Sauce for Kids
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped; 1 red onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, whole, skin on; 1 tbsp rapeseed oil; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tsp dried oregano; 300ml water; 320g dried pasta shapes, such as fusilli or penne

A sweet, silky, bright orange sauce that hides a whole pile of vegetables. Even the pickiest eater will clean the bowl.

Time55 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.95 a head
Oven200°C (180°C fan)

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

Estimated nutrition per serving

1057kcal
65.6gcarbs
6.4gof which sugars
84.5gfat
51.8gsaturates
12.7gprotein
4.7gfibre
0.1gsalt

A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.

4 servings

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

400 gbutternut squashpeeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
2red peppersdeseeded and chopped
1red onionchopped
2garlic cloveswhole, skin on
1 tbsprapeseed oil
1 tbsptomato purée
1 tspdried oregano
300 mlwater
320 gdried pasta shapessuch as fusilli or penne

Method

1
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Put the squash, peppers, onion and whole garlic cloves on a large tray, drizzle with the rapeseed oil and toss.
2
Roast for 35 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the edges are lightly browned.
35 min
3
Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skins into a blender. Add all the roast vegetables, the tomato purée, oregano and the water.
4
Blend until completely smooth, adding a splash more water if it is too thick. Pour into a pan and warm gently for 5 minutes.
5 min
5
While the sauce warms, cook the pasta in boiling water to the packet time, then drain, saving a cupful of the water.
6
Toss the pasta with plenty of sauce, loosening with a little pasta water. Leave out salt for babies and toddlers, and cool well before serving. The sauce freezes for 3 months.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.