Name: Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Pancetta and Sage
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 ounces pancetta or thick cut bacon, chopped; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage; 1 (2 pound) kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups); 1 small onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; Kosher salt and; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 12 ounces fettuccine or linguine; ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino (plus additional shaved Pecorino for serving)

Description

Butternut squash gets puréed into a creamy sauce for your favorite pasta. No cream needed. Fried pancetta and sage add extra flavor.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or thick cut bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 (2 pound) kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces fettuccine or linguine
¼ cup finely grated Pecorino (plus additional shaved Pecorino for serving)

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Instructions

Cook pancetta. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is shimmering, add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8-10 minutes. Add sage and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta and sage to a small bowl; set aside.
Cook squash. Add squash, onion, and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add broth. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, 15-20 minutes.
Cook pasta. While the squash is cooking, cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Blend squash. When squash is done cooking, let it cool slightly in pan then transfer squash mixture to a blender. Reserve the skillet. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the blender and purée until very smooth; season with salt and pepper as needed. The purée should be the consistency of a thick pasta sauce. If it is too thick, add 1-2 additional tablespoons of pasta cooking liquid and purée to combine.
Toss. Combine pasta and squash purée together in the reserved skillet and cook over low heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Mix in ¼ cup grated Pecorino; season with salt and pepper.
Serve. Serve pasta topped with reserved pancetta and sage, shaved Pecorino, and more pepper to taste.

Notes

Recipe from Bon Appétit, February 2014.