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The simplest, coziest bowl of Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon. Best for nights when you’re craving Italian, but also craving cozy fall flavors. Seasonal autumn butternut squash, roasted with fresh herbs, and garlic, all pureed into a creamy carbonara sauce that’s vibrant and so delicious! Finish off this pasta with crispy, spicy rosemary bacon for an autumn dinner that’s mouth-wateringly delicious. This is a great fall pasta to serve any night of the week, or for your next Saturday night dinner with friends.
And here we go. The first butternut squash recipe of the season. I’m thinking from today on it’s all things fall here on HBH. Ok, I know I’ve already been heavy on the fall recipes for about the last week (see these cinnamon spiced apple fritters and cheesy cauliflower). But this dish feels very fall with the roasted squash and crispy rosemary bacon.
Officially we still have 5 more days of summer. But I’m ready to jump ahead now, and this pasta needs to be shared sooner rather than later. It’s just really darn good, oh so creamy, and infused with autumn flavors. The perfect bowl to welcome in the upcoming crisp fall days.
Did I sell you yet? Did I mention the creaminess? The cheesiness? That crispy, spicy, almost “candied” rosemary bacon?
Yummmm, this pasta is a bowl full of all the good things in life…cheesy, but true.
Moving on to the details.
I kept this as simple as can be. While making sure to keep all the flavor in this bowl of creamy autumn carbonara.
The heart of the pasta is really all in the butternut squash and bacon. The secret? Roasting both the squash and bacon together on the same sheet pan. As the squash roasts, the bacon cooks down overtop. The squash adds just adds that much more flavor to the already delicious butternut squash.
First, toss the squash with lots of fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. You could also add sage, but I didn’t want any of the flavors to be too overpowering, so I stuck with thyme.
For the bacon, you’ll want to rub it with fresh chopped rosemary, then a little cayenne pepper, and finish it off with honey. The honey helps to balance the heat from the cayenne and makes this more of a herby, spicy, “candied” bacon. LOVE the sweet and spicy combination with the savory autumn squash.
As the bacon cooks, the flavor from the bacon drips down over the squash infusing everything with incredible flavor. A little spiciness, a little sweetness, and a touch of smokiness.
So delicious.
Of course, if you don’t eat meat, you can easily omit the bacon to make this a vegetarian pasta. Just add the rosemary and cayenne to the squash instead.
While the squash and bacon are roasting, whisk the eggs with parmesan. If you’ve never made a carbonara pasta, it’s a classic Italian pasta dish. It’s unique in that it uses raw eggs. Tossing the raw eggs with hot pasta and plenty of parmesan cheese creates a delicious sauce. The heat from the pasta cooks the eggs and produces the silkiest, smoothest, and creamiest pasta sauce. It’s melt in your mouth good.
Once the squash has finished roasting, puree it into a smooth puree. You can do this in a food processor or blender. Now, bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the pasta. I like to use linguine, but any pasta cut works well, so use your personal favorite.
As soon as the pasta has finished cooking, immediately toss it with the eggs. This step is really important, but don’t worry it’s also really easy. Just be sure to toss, toss, toss for a good minute until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, toss in the squash puree.
Then serve topped with that extra crispy rosemary bacon.
To sum things up…
This is such a warming fall pasta that’s hearty too. It’s made just a little healthier with the butternut squash replacing extra cream and butter. Every twirl of pasta is creamy, silky, and laced with rich, warming fall flavors. The sauce is herby, savory, and just the creamiest. And the bacon adds a spicy, sweet crunch…like topping on a cake.
All together this dish is beyond good…think roll your eye back, go for that second serving…good.
And lastly, this is such a nice switch up from the classic carbonara pasta. Great for any upcoming dinner at home with family or friends. Or just a really good Thursday night meal that we can all look forward to.
Looking for other butternut squash recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna
Creamy Broccoli and Butternut Squash Soup with Cheddar Brie Pastries
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Hasselback Butternut Squash with Sage Butter and Prosciutto Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make these Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 493 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 small squash)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 pound dry linguine pasta
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. On a plate, rub the bacon with rosemary and cayenne, drizzle with honey. Lay the bacon over top. 2. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes, flip the bacon and bake another 5-8 minutes, until the bacon is crisp, watch closely. Remove the bacon. If squash needs more time, return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.3. Transfer the squash and garlic to a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop the bacon, reserve for topping. 4. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and parmesan. 5. Boil the pasta until al dente. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and add the pasta back to the hot pot. Immediately add the egg/cheese mixture, tossing quickly (to ensure the eggs do not scramble) until the eggs thicken and create a sauce. Add the butternut squash puree, and the butter, tossing to combine. Thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.6. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with bacon. Twirl the pasta up…EAT and ENJOY.
This post was originally published on September 17, 2020
HOLY MOLY! This is such a great recipe! The fall feeling in a dish! The smooth and creamy from the butternut squash “sauce” in the al dente pasta combined with the crunchiness of the rosemary bacon is stunning! I was unsure of how this would taste together but I will definitely be making this again.
I am so glad you have been loving this recipe Amanda!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
This was great! My squash and bacon took longer to cook than the time mentioned above, but that gave me plenty of time to catch up on the dirty dishes, lol. My sauce turned out a bit thick, so I will add some water before I heat up the left overs. I suspect my squash wasn’t quite ripe, since the purée was a bit paste like. I’d 100% make this again. The best part, of course is the spicy candied bacon!
Thank you so much for trying this Anna! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I have never left a review before but I feel impelled to leave a review for this recipe. I love all of Tieghan‘s recipes! This recipe was so good! It was restaurant quality! The flavors were perfect and it was creamy and the best of comfort food. My husband went on and on about how good it was and how it shot to number 1 on his list. Thank you for this recipe! It made this week so much better! 🙂
Aw I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Carissa! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Individual components were delicious and flavorful. Unfortunately, once the butternut puree was mixed into 1lb of pasta, those flavors all but disappeared. Couldn’t taste any of the butternut sweet/spicy flavor at all. Next time will either use more than 2 cups of butternut or less pasta to get a better ratio.
Hi Sue! I am really glad this recipe turned out well for you! Is there anything I can help with? Please let me know! xTieghan
I couldn’t wait to make this as soon as I saw the recipe. It was absolutely delicious! It tastes like Autumn and wasn’t too messy or tricky at all to make. I love all your recipes Tieghan and wanted to thank you for sharing all your amazing creations!
You are too sweet! I am so happy you have been loving my recipes Julie! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was so delicious! First time making butternut squash dish and I’m such a huge fan now!
Will be making this dish over and over.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe <3
Thank you Nina! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Oh my was I looking forward to making this! I used the metric measurements, but it looks like this was way off 🙁 I had way too much pasta, not enough butternut squash purree and my sauce was just not saucy, even after following all of the instructions. It was like a thick sludge? But tasteful though! But I had hoped it would look like the pictures. Any idea what I might have done wrong?
Hey Xu,
I am so sorry you had issues with the measurements! I am wondering if you added any of the pasta water at the end to loosen it up, that usually helps! I hope this helps for next time, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
this recipe was an absolute sensation! the honey and herbs totally come through and the butternut squash enriches the sauce perfectly. instead of using bacon strips, I used lardons and it was perfect.
I don’t get the salty comments written by some people, as reinventing classic dishes is part of what a chef does.
keep up the good work, I love your blog!
Thank you so much Sarah! I am really glad you loved this one and thank you for the kind words! xTieghan
This was gorgeous Tieghan, such wonderful flavours with the roasted slightly sweet bacon topping it off. The hint of spice was just right, a great autumn supper dish that I will be making again soon.x
Thank you so much Maxine! xTieghan
This recipe is an absolute winner.
Thank you Julie! xTieghan
Oh so good! Another one out of the park Tieghan!! I’ve gotta work on my carbonara skills, Even with the lumps it was still yummy!
Thank you so much Rachel! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! This is my first time making carbonara and I completely messed up adding the eggs. I tried my best to stir continually while doing it so as to prevent scrambling the eggs but the eggs still scrambled. I also let the eggs get to room temperature beforehand so they wouldn’t be cold going into a hot pot. Any suggestions? Could I maybe warm the eggs over low heat (while stirring vigorously) and then add to the noodles? I’m hoping there are some other methods I could try in the future to avoid this. Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Cassidy,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am sorry you had issues with the eggs. I think it is key to add the pasta back to the pot and then add the eggs. If you add the eggs before the pasta the heat from the pan will being to cook them. And then of course, stir like crazy! I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
I made this last night and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!! The flavors were great. I little less heat next time but a great recipe. Definitely use a smaller butternut squash, mine was a little larger than what the video showed and it was harder to get the creamy sauce. But still delicious!!
Thank you so much Jessica! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made a huge batch of this to share with a friend And freeze the purée. Delicious Next day made a frittata with pasta 5 eggs and a handful of basil Outstanding!
Wow that sounds so amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for the both of you, Pat! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This was delicious and easy – perfect on a cold night! I made it exactly as written with the last of my thyme and rosemary from my garden. was surprised at how much pasta water I used, but it loosened the sauce up nicely. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that, Liz! Thank you for trying this one!! xTieghan