Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash + Bacon
OH MY GOSH this pasta is soooo good. Of course it is, with all that bacon, butternut squash, rustic pumpkin seed and basil pesto, extra cheese and our current favorite gluten free pasta.
It’s a great meal – that comes together pretty quickly.
I remember when...
My husband offered to make dinner when we were dating. He said he would make “bacon pasta”…and I was like…eeeewwww.
When he didn’t have any ground beef, he would add bacon to marinara sauce. Of course cooking it first and then adding in a marinara sauce with some pasta.
That just wasn’t my idea of “bacon pasta”. I really wanted the salty, crispy gems to stand out.
The bacon is crispy and butternut squash is cooked in the fat SO you really taste all the goodness.
Here are other favorite pasta recipes.
Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash + Bacon
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. bacon, thinly sliced
- 1/2 butternut squash, small diced
- 1 lb. gluten free pasta
- 1/2 pasta cooking water reserved
- 1/2 cup fresh ground Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pumpkin seed pesto, recipe to follow
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- small bunch basil, roughly chopped
Pumpkin Seed Pesto
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 large bunch fresh basil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Blend (a few pulses) all ingredients together until just combine and it’s still roughly chopped. Does not need to be smooth.
Instructions
- In a medium/large skillet, cook the bacon on medium heat. Toss around until all the bacon is crispy and completely cooked. Remove the bacon from the pan to a small bowl or plate.
- Place the diced butternut squash in the skillet and sauté for 15 minutes or until the pieces are tender and slightly browned. Turn the heat off and let sit.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Pour the pasta back into the cooking pot or into a large serving bowl. Add in the reserved cooking pasta water, bacon, butternut squash, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and pumpkin seed pesto. Toss gently to combine all ingredients together.
- Garnish with pumpkins and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: dinner
Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag me @whitesparrowfoodco or #whitesparrowfoodco I’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe!
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