Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Crispy Bacon

So the chilly weather has finally kicked in, and what better excuse than to start all the comfort food recipes we can think of? This creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon has become a strong favourite of ours recently. And I bet you will love butternut squash too. Why, you ask? But because it’s creamy, it’s savoury and the bacon adds a crunch you will not be able to stop thinking about.

I mean, all I want to eat when autumn and winter hit is carbs. In every way, shape and form. And pasta is very much one of my favourite dishes ever. I can have pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I will never get tired of it. In that way, I am a proper Italian I guess! I do lose my citizenship once I confirm I don’t like pizza. But my love for pasta should compensate for that. Fred is honestly obsessed with pizza, and I do eat it every now and then. But pasta will always be my first love, and can you blame me?

What about this pasta?

So this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon is all I have been craving since we made it. Yes, it’s simply that good. It has the right amount of savoury, sweet and creamy and also carbs. It’s what autumn calls for, and I won’t hear it any different. Especially because we all need some warmth and comfort in our lives, am I right? And if carbs are not the answer for you like they are for me, then I don’t know what to say. So, before you judge, give this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon a shot, I tell you now. Do it. You won’t regret it.

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta With Bacon

Of course, when it comes to comfort food, I am an authority. Especially if you mention pasta. Carbonara is all I need on a day when everything is grey, my day has been difficult and all I need is some comfort. It might not be the same comfort this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon brings, but we’re close enough.

What is butternut squash?

Butternut squash is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine, with a very distinctive sweet and nutty taste. It’s pretty similar to pumpkin in both taste and colour and becomes sweeter and richer as it ripens. The seeds are all contained at the very end, the rounder part of the vegetable. But is it a vegetable, really? You guessed it right, it’s not! Botanically speaking, it’s actually a fruit – more specifically, a berry!

But, don’t be fooled by this. If anything, butternut squash is as versatile fruit as it gets! You can roast it, sautée it, purée it and mash it too. You can use it in savoury cooking, and sweets too for stuff like casseroles, bread, muffins and pies. The best of both worlds, as you may.

Is it good for you?

Butternut squash is also a good source of fibre, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium too. It’s low in calories and loaded with important nutrients, plus it’s rich in carotenoids, antioxidants and vitamin B, including folate and B6. These are both extremely important for your body as it needs energy and helps with red blood cell formation. And among other things, a diet rich in most of these will help you avoid certain types of cancer and assist your mental health too – who knew!

How do I prep butternut squash?

I have recently realised I might have been preparing my squash the wrong way. Go figure, if there is one when I am not making a mess in the kitchen! It seems like, though, I finally got to the right point. Let me show you my new-found method.

First off, you will slice both ends with a serrated knife. Then (which was a revelation to me) you will peel the whole surface with a potato peeler! At first, it might be a little difficult, but you’ll get the hang of it after you get off the first peels. And you will end up not wasting as much pulp as I used to when I used to cut off the skin using a knife.

You’ll cut the squash in half, deseed as you would with a pumpkin or melon with the help of a spoon, and cut accordingly to your recipe. Nothing is easier, fingers are safe all through and even a kid could peel the skin – if your kid is very much into cooking!

My previous method shouldn’t be shared, but based on what you can read here, I am sure you know it wasn’t the best. I still have all my fingers, but it was a very close call at times.

How do I cook butternut squash?

As mentioned, butternut squash is extremely versatile. From savoury dishes to sweet ones, you will be able to use butternut squash in a myriad of recipes. And even the cooking method is pretty much as it pleases you. Roasted butternut squash is a favourite of mine, and it’s generally the way you’ll retain the most vitamins and minerals rather than boiling it. It’s also the best way for it to discard the extra water it contains, similarly to pumpkin. But you can simmer it, just like you will for this recipe, and you can then blend it or eat it as is.

There is nothing yummier than butternut squash soup, and you can make this in a slow cooker too. I mean, can you think of anything else you can do this with? Yes, I can indeed think of a few ingredients. But let me thrive under the thought of butternut squash is the best. Because it really is. It’s true, and you can fight me over this – you wouldn’t win it.

What dishes can I make with butternut?

As mentioned, soup is the main way I love to eat butternut squash as. But we also do love it roasted, with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, as part of a bento box. In a salad, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. And I never had thought about using it as a sauce. But trust me when I say this works better than you’ll ever think. And, of course, using it in baking like bread, rolls, pies and vegan rolls to remind you of sausage rolls too – just bliss. Versatile doesn’t cut it – butternut squash is mesmerizing! Who would have thought that a butternut sauce could go with pasta? And that I would be craving it constantly since the first time I tried it? A beautiful pasta sauce indeed. And the same sauce could be used on salads too.

What ingredients are in this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon?

The queen of this dish is, in fact, butternut squash. Delicious, creamy and nutty squash. We then have sage and thyme, both fresh herbs, as they both complement the taste of the squash so well. Especially the sage, I must admit I was not a fan of it and I cannot live without it now. Oh, how things change as soon as you give them a chance!

Red onion and garlic are also in this – the little kick of a fresh red onion is something so subtle, yet so deliciously apt for this pasta dish. And the garlic, well – we love love love garlic around here.

You will need butter, milk and vegetable stock too, then salt and pepper to taste. And this is for the sauce only! When it comes to pasta, we went with spaghetti. And for the bacon, we used a few strips of delicious dry-cured back bacon* from our friends at Swaledale Butchers. Do you remember them? We used their sausages in our sausage and chorizo casserole, but just to remind you.

Who are Swaledale Butchers?

Swaledale is a strictly whole-carcass, nose-to-tail butcher based in Yorkshire. Their passion, expertise and dedication are to supplying the native, livestock breeds of Britain to homes and businesses throughout the UK. All their produce is sourced from native breeds farmed across the Yorkshire Dales. Swaledale’s focus is on native breeds, as they are naturally able to graze on their rough Yorkshire uplands, unlike faster-growing continental breeds. This upland farming is a slower process than conventional farming, it produces better flavour whilst not making an unsustainable impact on the soil, land, and natural environment.

To maximise flavour for fabulous tasting meat, all beef, pork, and lamb are dry-aged on the bone in Swaledale’s Himalayan salt-ageing chamber. Award-winning sausages and bacon are also made using the same native breeds. They are a family business based in Skipton, which has achieved some great things over the years. One of the most satisfying is taking a drive around The Dales where there’s been a return to traditional livestock that’s clear to see; Dexter cattle, Belted Galloways and Highlands all dotted across the landscape.

How do I make the creamy butternut squash sauce for this butternut squash pasta with bacon?

The pasta sauce here it’s as easy as chopping, mixing, blending and serving. I know, nothing difficult or fancy, but definitely a fancy result, if you ask me.

You will start by peeling and chopping your butternut squash into small cubes. Then you will slice the red onion thinly, and crush the garlic cloves so they are ready to go. Once these are all ready to go, melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and let them sautée for 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and combine. Add the cut butternut squash cubes pretty much right away, but also the vegetable stock and both the sage and thyme. Mix well and let it simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the butternut squash is soft when poked with a fork or knife.

Set it aside to cool while you prepare your pot for the pasta and the bacon. A big pot full of salted water needs to be brought up to a boil. You will cook your preferred pasta to the instructions you find on the box and reserve some of that cooking water for later. Then it comes to the bacon: cut it into strips, then drop it in a pan with no oil or butter whatsoever. Let it cook on medium heat until it’s crispy and caramelised almost. Set it aside and move on to blending your pasta sauce.

We used one of those handheld immersion blenders, added the milk and blended it all. Check on salt and pepper, add if needed and then you are ready to get your pasta party-ready.

How do you serve this butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon?

Add the pasta to the sauce and combine well. Then add some of that reserved pasta water to loosen it up a little. The starch from the pasta water will help it all combine and make it even more creamy. Add 3/4 of the crispy bacon and mix it in.

You will serve the pasta and sprinkle some extra crispy bacon – if it made it to the plate, that is also one thing to keep in mind!

To roast or to simmer, that is the question.

While I always prefer pumpkin roasted, with squash I feel like you can be a lot more flexible. Butternut squash will be delicious roasted, but even boiled or simmered will make you want back for more. We have had it in many ways, shapes and forms. So I can honestly say no matter how you cook it, you will love it. Yes, roasting tends to preserve the vitamins and minerals and whatnot that are in the squash. But if cooked properly, so will the simmering or boiling.

You will definitely find people who are #teamroast or #teamboil, but either way, you will end up with beautifully sweet and nutty squash. And for this particular recipe of butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon, you can decide to roast everything but the stock and milk. If you decide to do so, roast it at 180°C until it’s soft and mushy. You will then add the stock and milk and blend until smooth.

How do I get my bacon to get crispy for this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon?

There is no special secret when it comes to the bacon, but more something like small recommendations. First off, no addition of fat in any way, shape or form. The fat part of your bacon will render as you cook it and release the extra water and fat by itself. Make sure the cooking is done over medium heat and be patient! Crispy bacon is something I absolutely love, but had never managed to get it to cook properly because, well, I am impatient!

What about pasta, what kind can I use?

Any pasta will work beautifully with this butternut squash sauce, from spaghetti to tagliatelle. But also rigatoni or penne rigate. Ideally, something that will be able to trap that sauce as you bring a forkful to your mouth. But I feel like also filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli could work extremely well. Particularly with my favourite filled ravioli with ricotta, parmesan cheese and truffle. I am already dreaming – yum yum!

And what does al dente mean when it comes to pasta?

If we were to translate al dente, I don’t think it would really make sense. But, come to think of it, it’s not even that weird. The pasta Italians tend to eat is al dente, or even still firm when bitten. With the literal meaning of al dente being to the tooth, you can see how that could make a little sense.

While I do strongly believe for al dente to be the only way pasta should be consumed, I am not a judgy person and will understand if you like it a little softer. Understand it, not really accept it. In a way we can agree to disagree, am I right? You need to try it before you cut it off your life. Pasta is designed to be eaten with a slight bite to it, so that it doesn’t lose texture.

And funny enough, as I was researching how to best explain what al dente means, I found out this same term can be used for rice, vegetables and other grains too!

So let’s go ahead and see the recipe for this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon.

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So that’s the end for this creamy butternut squash pasta with crispy bacon.

And of all the dinner recipes, this one is absolutely a favourite now. If you fancy other recipes, our most recent ones are this vegan brioche and pumpkin pie pancakes. Or even this beautiful pumpkin iced latte and the most beautiful vegan apple cider doughnuts.

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