Skillet Challenge – Bacon Butternut Squash Pasta

I am continuing my one skillet challenge and am loving it so far!  In keeping with my love of fall, I thought this pasta dish with bacon and butternut squash would be a good recipe to try and I am so glad I did.  This one is definitely a keeper.  My family loved it!  It’s creamy but not too heavy, and the flavor of the bacon, crispy sage leaves and butternut squash is just heavenly.  

Here’s what you’ll need:  1 lb cubed butternut squash, 3 T extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, 12 oz fettuccine, 4 slices bacon, 6 sage leaves, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/3 c broth, 2/3 c heavy cream, 1/4 grated Parmesan, 9 oz shredded fontina cheese

First, preheat your oven to 400.  Spread the squash in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Toss with 2 T olive oil until evenly coated and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  You can do this ahead of time if you want – even the day before.  Also, if you want to use a shortcut here, you could just buy a bag of frozen butternut squash already cubed.  You could just heat it and toss it in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cook the fettuccine according to directions on the package, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon.  I always cook my bacon in the oven.  I love how it’s less messy and it cooks so evenly and I can get it as crispy as I want, but cook it however you like to cook bacon.   However you cooked it, you need to save a little bit (I’d say 1-2 Tablespoons) of the grease. 

Heat your grease in the skillet over medium heat and fry the sage leaves until crispy – about a minute on each side.  Here’s how they look before and after.

Set the sage aside with the bacon and wipe your skillet clean.  

Put the skillet back onto the heat and add a Tablespoon of olive oil.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  

Pour in the broth and heavy cream and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the parmesan and the pasta.  Then add the fontina and toss until all the cheese is melted and the pasta is fully coated.  I turned the heat off at this point.  When the pasta is fully coated and the cheese is melted, add the bacon (I just crumbled it a bit), the sage leaves and the squash and give it a good mix.

Here’s what you end up with…

You guys, it’s SO GOOD.  Trust me, you need to try this.  Make it on a cool fall night.  You’ll be glad you did.

Print Recipe

Bacon Butternut Squash Pasta

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. cubed butternut squash
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 12 oz fettuccine
• 4 slices bacon
• 6 sage leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 c chicken broth
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan
• 9 oz shredded fontina cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 400. Spread squash in a single layer on large baking sheet. Toss with 2 T of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until tender.

2

Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain and set aside.

3

Cook bacon. Set aside. Fry sage leaves on medium heat until crispy - about 1 minute per side.

4

Set aside. Wipe out skillet.

5

Add remaining Tablespoon of olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant - about 1 minute.

6

Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a simmer.

7

Add parmesan and pasta, then add fontina. Remove from heat and toss until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce.

8

Add the crumbled bacon, sage leaves and squash and stir to combine. Serve with extra parmesan if desired.