Prep the butternut squash and place in a large saucepan with garlic cloves, vegetable broth, generous pinches of salt and pepper and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes. Bring to a rolling boil, cover and turn heat to medium. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the squash is tender.

While the squash is cooking, boil the pasta until al dente, 6-8 minutes depending on your pasta. Make sure to season your pasta water with salt, about 1 tablespoon. When pasta is al dente, RESERVE 2 cups pasta water before draining all the pasta.

Place the cooked butternut squash mixture in a blender with 1 cup of the pasta water and 1 tsp onion powder. Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust the thickness with extra pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use this as a pasta sauce mixed with your vegetables of choice or continue to make a pasta bake. Noting that if you plan on baking it, the sauce should be runny - the pasta will soak up more liquid as it bakes and cools.

For the pasta bake, heat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, mix pasta, peas (tomatoes, spinach, etc.) and sauce.

Place the pasta mixture in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish greased with 1 tbs olive oil. Place thin slices of mozzarella over the top, if using. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes to warm all ingredients together and melt cheese.

Remove foil, drizzle 1 Tbs olive oil over the top and broil for 3-5 minutes to brown the mozzarella and give the top a little crunch.