This pasta is paired with roasted butternut squash, bacon, and herbs for a delicious and fresh meal. It's easy to throw together, and even more delicious topped with a bit of parmesan cheese.
Over here I'm trying to really reduce all food waste. The other night I made a chicken pot pie with some butternut squash, but it was too much butternut squash to use all at once. So I cut up the rest and refrigerated it with the dreams of making this pasta.
Fast forward to two days later, and I made this pasta for my husband, my daughter, and myself for lunch. I always know a dish is a winner when my two year old eats it. And honestly, this was easy, but it kinda looked like restaurant-quality pasta. You know, if a restaurant used dried spaghetti (cause we don't have time to make fresh pasta around here).
While I loved the combination of bacon and butternut squash, you can definitely leave out the bacon if you're wanting to enjoy it for meatless Monday or if you're a vegetarian. It will still be delicious!
Ingredients needed for the recipe:
- Butternut squash
- Bacon
- Spaghetti
- Dried (or fresh) sage
- Olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Any fresh herbs for topping the dish
Variations on the recipe:
- If you have sausage around, you can use that instead of the bacon, or leave the bacon out altogether to make it vegetarian!
- I used dried sage in this recipe because I love the way it pairs with the butternut squash. However, you can use another savory herb like rosemary or thyme for a slightly different flavor. You can also use fresh sage if you have it on hand!
- I used spaghetti because I have a ton of it at my house right now. This would work well with so many pastas like farfalle, penne, or whatever you have on hand!
Tips on cutting up a butternut squash:
Butternut squash are sort of a weird shape. Narrower at the top, rounder at the bottom. Which may be daunting for some people. How do you cut one up?
Simply peel the outside of the butternut squash with a peeler. Then cut off the very top and bottom to remove the stems. Stand it upright on your cutting board, and with a large knife, just slice all the way down to cut it in half. The bottom round part, contains some seeds. You can scoop those out with a spoon (or an ice cream scoop!)
Once that is done, just chop up the butternut squash into the size of chunks you need. Easy.
How to make the pasta with butternut squash and bacon:
To make the pasta with roasted butternut squash, the first step is to get the butternut squash in the oven to roast! I take 4 cups of chopped butternut squash (pieces sized 1 inch), and put them on a baking sheet. I toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake on 400 degrees F for about 35-40 minutes. Stir a couple of times while cooking to make sure squash is roasting evenly.
Once the squash is roasting in the oven, start your pasta! Heat up the water and cook according to the package directions.
To make the bacon, in a skillet, add 2 slices of bacon that are cut into pieces. Cook and then drain on a paper towel once done.
After everything (butternut squash, pasta, bacon) is cooked, time to assemble! Drain the pasta and drizzle some olive oil over the top. Add salt, pepper, and 1 tsp dried sage. Toss to combine. Add more olive oil if needed You want the pasta to be well-coated, but not too oily.
Plate the pasta, then add the bacon and butternut squash on top. Top with freshly grated (or shaved) parmesan and fresh herbs.
Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash, cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 2 slices bacon, thick cut
- 1/2 lb dried spaghetti
- 1 tsp dried sage
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
- fresh herbs
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Take the cubed butternut squash and spread out on a baking sheet. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Put in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Squash will be done when soft in the middle and slightly caramelized on the outside.
- In a large pot, add water for pasta and start heating up. Once water is boiling, add a bit of salt and pasta to the pot, and cook according to package directions.
- While pasta water is heating up, take two slices of thick cut bacon and cut into small pieces. Cook in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through, but not too crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels until ready to use.
- Once the butternut squash, pasta, and bacon are all done, get prepared to assemble.
- Drain the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Mix until pasta is well-coated, but not swimming in oil. Add more oil if needed. Add dried sage and salt and pepper to the pasta and mix.
- Divide the pasta between the bowls and then top with the bacon and butternut squash. Grate or shave parmesan cheese over the top and top with any other fresh herbs.
Notes
- If you don't have thick-cut bacon, you can use regular and just use 3 slices instead of 2. (Or leave it off altogether if making vegetarian).
- I love using extra virgin olive oil when I'm tossing the pasta with the sage but if you just have regular olive oil, use that.
- This recipe makes plenty to serve two people for dinner. If you want to make it stretch further, you can cook up more pasta or serve for 3-4 with a side salad or some bread.
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