Creamy (vegan!) Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage

My friend and I made this really awesome recipe yesterday that we found online. It was not too hard to make, and we got such a great meal out of it. Although we used a little too much squash, it was still super tasty.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier pasta sauce)
Sea salt and/or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
12 ounces whole grain linguine or fettucine
Optional additional garnishes: shaved Parmesan or Pecorino and/or smoked salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil in a large (read: 12 inch) skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get crispy before transferring it to a small bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with sea salt and set the bowl aside.
Add squash, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
Once the squash mixture is done cooking, remove it from heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Reserve the skillet. Purée the mixture until smooth (beware of hot steam escaping from the top of the blender), then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine pasta, squash purée and ¼ cup cooking liquid in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve pasta topped with fried sage, more black pepper and shaved Parmesan/Pecorino and/or smoked salt, if desired.