Butternut Squash Pasta

5 from 6 votes

There’s still a lot of butternut squash left from this year’s harvest. Let’s make a butternut squash carbonara! A rich and creamy meal, without using any eggs.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: butternut squash pasta

Servings:

Calories: 118kcal

Author: Erich Boenzli

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
One (1-½ pound) butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced into cubes (about 3 cups)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup reserved pasta water
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
16 ounces fettuccini
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook bacon in frying pan over medium heat, add sage after a couple minutes, then add garlic for the last minute before bacon is crisp and done. Remove ingredients from pan - do not clean the pan - chop the bacon, toss with sage and garlic, and set aside.
Put the pan back over medium heat, add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until onions turn translucent and smell heavenly. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft.
In the meantime, cook your favorite pasta in salted water, save a cup of the pasta water, drain, and set aside.
When the squash is soft, add the pan contents in a blender, add heavy cream, and puree. Again, do not clean your frying pan in between. Just put the blender contents back in the pan.
Add cooked pasta to the pan, along with ½ cup cheese and about ½ cup pasta water. Keep stirring and watch the sauce thicken up, with the cheese melting. Season with salt, freshly cracked pepper, and ground nutmeg. If the sauce is too thick, add some more pasta water; if it’s too runny, cook a couple minutes to let some liquid evaporate.
Divide into four pasta bowls, top with the chopped bacon-garlic-sage mixture, and serve.

Notes

Nutrition