Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Pasta
This cozy fall pasta combines fresh butternut squash and canned pumpkin puree into a creamy, savory sauce. Packed with seasonal flavors!
Servings 4 servings (*see notes)
Calories 323kcal
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 2 ½ cups chopped butternut squash (¾-inch dice; about ½ of a medium squash)
- ½ medium-large yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (*see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 8 ounces higher-fiber, higher-protein pasta (*see notes; I used Banza Cavatappi)
- ⅔ cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree (or fresh puree)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil while you work on the next few steps. (This will be used to cook the pasta in a later step).
- In a large sauté pan (or large skillet), cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate. Chop or crumble when cooled and set aside for now.
- In the same pan, heat the baking grease over medium heat. Add the onion and butternut squash. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to get tender.
- Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pan. Continue cooking the squash for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat, uncovered, until the squash is tender. Turn off heat when the squash is tender.
- Meanwhile, as the squash is cooking, prepare the pasta. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Reserve ⅔ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta into a colander and set aside for now.
- In the now-empty pot that the pasta was cooking in, dump in the squash mixture (there should be some broth left in the pan, include this too), the reserved pasta water, and the pumpkin puree. Use an immersion blender to puree into a sauce.
- Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, then portion out and top with the bacon. Enjoy!
Notes
- Crushed red pepper flakes add a very subtle spice to this recipe; my family finds it mild. However, if you are sensitive to heat, you can certainly omit this. Or, if you prefer lots of spice, you can increase it to taste.
- I prefer heavily sauced pasta, so I like using an 8-ounce box of pasta for this recipe. However, if you prefer a lighter layer of sauce, you can use 10-12 ounces of pasta and thin out the sauce with some additional reserved pasta water or chicken broth.
- A higher-fiber, higher-protein pasta, like Banza or Hero, helps make this meal more balanced. However, you can certainly use a regular pasta brand if you prefer! The nutrition analysis below is based on using Banza pasta.
- This makes 4 servings assuming you’re preparing this to serve this as part of a meal, like having some pasta alongside grilled chicken or salad. If you’re preparing this as the full meal, it makes 2-3 larger servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal