Today I’m sharing a super tasty pasta recipe that’s perfect if you’ve got a bunch of butternut squash or pumpkin on hand. It’s cozy, a little sweet from the squash, and full of savory flavor—honestly, it’s satisfying enough to eat on its own. But if you’re feeling extra, it also goes great with some grilled chicken or a quick side salad.
Watch the video version of this recipe:
Ingredients
1 lb pasta, I prefer rigatoni or a ricotta ravioli
1/5 lb thick sliced hardwood smoked bacon diced into 1 inch size pieces
3 small butternut squash, cut in half with the seeds scooped out
1.5 cups of frozen sweet peas
1cup of cottage cheese pureed until smooth OR ricotta cheese
2 cups of finely grated parmesan cheese
3 sprigs of fresh thyme, pull the thyme leaves off and throw away the woody stems.
1 sprig of fresh Italian sweet basil. Remove the leaves. Throw away the woody stem pieces.
2 stems of fresh parsley. Remove the leaves. Throw away the stem pieces.
Extra virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
salt
Preparation
First, let's gather all the ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin by cutting the butternut squash in half and scooping out the seeds. Place the squash halves on a parchment-lined sheet pan, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of salt on top. Use your hands or a brush to distribute the olive oil evenly over the squash, then cover with aluminum foil.
Bake the squash for an hour or until it's soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, as the squash bakes, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Dice thick-cut bacon into one-inch pieces. Puree the cottage cheese with an immersion blender (I like this one from Amazon HERE), or you can use ricotta cheese instead. For the herbs, remove the leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
Cooking the Dish
Next, cook the bacon in a large flat pan until the pieces are golden brown. Remove the bacon from the heat and let it drain in a mesh colander, ensuring you reserve the bacon fat for later use. Once the squash is baked, let it cool before scooping it into another bowl, discarding the rind.
Cook the pasta in salted water according to its package instructions, and be sure to reserve some of the pasta water, which will thicken our sauce. I usually place a glass Pyrex cup in the colander as a reminder to save some of the pasta water.
For the sauce, add the cooled butternut squash to a food processor or blender. I like to use my VitaMix blender to get a smooth consistency that I got from Amazon HERE. Add the pureed cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, basil, parsley, and one cup of reserved pasta water. Blend everything until smooth, which will yield enough sauce for about two pounds of pasta. I like to use half now for one pound of pasta and freeze the remainder for future use.
Bringing it All Together
In the same pot used to boil the pasta, add the cooked bacon pieces and one to two tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat. Toss in some sweet peas, cooking them until they're warmed through. Then, add the butternut squash sauce with a few splashes of retained pasta cooking water, followed by the cooked pasta. Toss everything together until the pasta is fully coated with the luscious sauce, adding more pasta cooking water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Final Touches
The last step is the taste test. I usually add more salt and pepper until I'm satisfied with the flavor. The sweetness of the butternut squash and peas contrasts wonderfully with the savory bacon.
