Butternut Squash Pasta With Bacon and Parmesan
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1medium red onion, cut into 1-inch dice
- 5slices thick-cut bacon (about 5 ounces)
- 12ounces short, twisty pasta, like campanelle or cavatappi
- ¾cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1½ ounces)
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
474 calories; 19 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 620 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
- Step 2
Add the butternut squash to a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top and season with red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the squash into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
- Step 3
While the butternut squash bakes, in a small bowl, toss the red onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Step 4
After the squash has cooked for 15 minutes, give it a stir and push it to one side of the baking sheet to make room for the onion and bacon, trying to keep the squash in one layer. Add the red onion to the pan, then lay the strips of bacon in a single layer next to the onion.
- Step 5
Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 30 minutes and cook, stirring the squash and onion after about 15 minute. The bacon should be crisp and the vegetables cooked through and beginning to caramelize at the edges. (They don’t have to be super golden brown, but a little color is nice.)
- Step 6
Just before the vegetables and bacon are done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot to keep warm if necessary.
- Step 7
When the vegetables are tender and the bacon crispy, take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully transfer the bacon to a cutting board. Coarsely chop the bacon.
- Step 8
Add the butternut squash, onions and any bacon fat to the pot with the pasta. Add about ½ cup Parmesan and ½ cup pasta water to the pot and stir everything until well combined. You want the squash to break down a bit and coat the pasta; add more pasta water as necessary to coat the pasta with the squash and cheese.
- Step 9
Stir in half the chopped bacon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta among bowls or plates. Top with chives, parsley, black pepper and the remaining Parmesan and bacon. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Ryan
Made exactly as written and then served over baby kale and arugula mix with lemon juice. It was so good but definitely needed the lightness from the greens and lemon.
Lea
This was delicious! Added fresh sage to the roasting vegetables and used diced prosciutto instead of bacon. Tossed the pasta in 2 TBSP browned sage butter before adding pasta water & Parmesan, and stirred in a half cup of ricotta.
Libby
Jean - I haven't made this yet, but I am thinking that the 1" dice is correct as they are being roasted and would be close in size to the squash. Often when I roast onions I cut them either into a sort of wedge or a thick "dice" that resembles about a 1" square. They do roast up beautifully when they are that large. Nice caramelized edges, soft sweet centers. I think the standard 1/4" dice would be too small. Hope this helps!
Maggie Olmstead
I didn't have butternut squash on hand so I used a medium eggplant that I had already, and it was perfect! I followed the suggestion to put arugula with lemon on the bottom of the pasta, and so glad I did. It was a perfect addition. I did cook the bacon in a skillet on top of the stove to control the amount of bacon grease in the pasta. When I added the onions to the pan with the eggplant, I spooned some of the bacon grease over the veggies. My husband is still raving about this dish.
Aya
I used Italian sausage instead and added porcini mushrooms, spinach and garlic. So delicious and easy. Will make again!
Phil
The water at the end bugged me. I instead put some heavy cream, Parmesan , salt and butter into a cast iron at the end to make a nice, creamy Alfredo sauce. I combined my pasta, squash, bacon, etc. into the sauce, then added some olive oiled bread crumbs on top. Baked the whole thing at 425 until the crumbs were golden brown and the dish was bubbling. Delicious, creamy, crunchy, with some sweet butternut squash and salty bacon. Yum.
Very good with kale
I added curly and Tuscan kale to the onion mix then incorporated the pasta and squash. Left the bacon to crumble on top because it’s better crispy.
Jess
Made this almost exactly to the recipe note though I’m not sure I used the right amount of butternut squash - I had half of a cubed butternut squash from something else. It was DELISH. Could have skipped the parsley though, I don’t ever understand adding it. But 12 oz of pasta, what. Most pasta comes in 1 lb/16 oz so I pulled a small amount out. I’d start doing the pasta earlier - boiling water always takes longer than I think lol
Kay
loved. Added pepitas to warmed leftovers, great May try walnuts.
Liz
Tasty combo - simplified it a bit by roasting squash and bacon & then tossing it with the pasta in a simple sage brown butter sauce & a healthy topping of grated parmesan. Easy weeknight dinner and perfect for the fall. I also took the squash out earlier and then cranked up the heat to 400 for the bacon.
Nickie Lisella
Very good & quick dinner I roasted the squash earlier in the day
Bill
Better with oven at 425
Kris H.
Finally nailed this after the third try. Roast the butternut squash for 25 minutes at 400, then drop the temp to 375. Add onion and regular/thin bacon to sheet pan for another 20. Mix together with pasta in large pasta pot with 1/3 cup of arugula pesto (NYT recipe with a little parsley and lemon added) and extra parmesan and 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Annie
Definitely needs a bit of help, but it's a great place to start and add whatever goodies you have in fridge. I used delicata (skin on) and white onion, because I had on hand and worked well. Also did bacon in skillet to not crowd the pan. I used 8 ounces pasta left over (tiny shells) from different recipe, and made plenty for 4. I did arugula and lemon under the pasta, and the acid helps elevate the dish. Would play with this again.
Aaron
This recipe is a great jumping off point. I added some chicken breast and roasted green beans. Definitely in the rotation!
Ijus Kann
The sweetness of squash red onion bacon = bbq sauce vibes. It is a tasty dish, but I couldn't get past this.
Pat B
Cooked the bacon on the stove top before crumbling. Instead of bacon fat and 1/2 c pasta water, added 2 tsp ground sage in 3 tbsp of melted butter and 1/2 c coconut milk.
srfrail
This was delicious but the onion and bacon (I used thick-cut) took way longer to roast than 30 minutes. In the oven with the squash. I also needed to use 2 pans because 4 cups of squash an onion and 4 strips of bacon do not fit on one sheet pan. Delicious flavor though. I’ll make it again.
Karen L Davis
This was tasty, but disappointing in that even with adding more pasta water the squash didn’t really become a sauce. Cut the amount of pasta in half. Used thin bacon, because it’s what I had. (Kept an eye on it and removed pieces that were done before the rest of the tray.) Sage was a good addition.
annz
I used cellentani noodles, cut the onion into wedges and added some Brussels sprouts when I added the onions to the pan to counteract the sweetness of the squash and onions. Delicious!
Linda
Great recipe- my 2 teens gobbled it up. I deglazed the roasting pan with the hot pasta water then poured drippings into the pot. Served pan fried chicken on top.
anne
Comfy meal but was missing something. Had depth but not oomph. I added a lot of salt and pepper and red pepper flakes at the end, went above and beyond on Parmesan. Would pay attention to the top few comments here in the future- add ricotta, lemon, something…
mh
Split into two sheet pans - use convection oven
Jeff
Far exceeded my expectations. I used high quality ham cubes sliced into bite sized pieces from a local provider--that imparted a smoky flavor throughout the dish. Also used dairy free parmesan, which worked well.
Kris H.
Finally nailed this after the third try. Roast the butternut squash for 25 minutes at 400, then drop the temp to 375. Add onion and regular/thin bacon to sheet pan for another 20. Mix together with pasta in large pasta pot with 1/3 cup of arugula pesto (NYT recipe with a little parsley and lemon added) and extra parmesan and 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Mary
Pretty pasty at the finish, so it need much more liquid. I think vegetable bouillon next time.
Annie
Definitely needs a bit of help, but it's a great place to start and add whatever goodies you have in fridge. I used delicata (skin on) and white onion, because I had on hand and worked well. Also did bacon in skillet to not crowd the pan. I used 8 ounces pasta left over (tiny shells) from different recipe, and made plenty for 4. I did arugula and lemon under the pasta, and the acid helps elevate the dish. Would play with this again.
SaraM
This is a household favorite! I usually substitute sage for the parsley but otherwise make as directed.
Erin S
Used shallots instead of red onion and it was delicious!
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