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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
Such a good fall pasta! Easy to make! Hardest part was cutting up the butternut squash, but that’s always my issue lol 🙂
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you Lea! Thank you for trying this! xTieghan
Another HBH recipe that tastes as good as it looks! Absolutely loved it – definitely making it again 🙂
Thank you so much Amy! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Yummm made this last night with pumpkin I had in the fridge and even my husband who doesn’t love pasta thoroughly enjoyed the dish! Will definitely make this creamy concoction again!
Thank you so much Dee! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Oh my goodness! This was so good!
Thank you Beth! xTieghan
This was perfect for the first rainy weekend of autumn. Plus a glass of red <3
Thank you so much Karina! xTieghan
So delicious and makes so much!
Thank you so much Kaitlyn! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Oh my gosh, this pasta was AMAZING! we actually made homemade pasta, so ours had a nice chew to it. But the simplicity of it was great. I do reccomend doing a rough choo of both the broccoli rabe and the sage before roasting, for better distribution in the pasta.
Thank you so much Ellen! I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
The flavors were delicious, but this took waaaaaay longer than 30 minutes. I used an aluminum (rather than dark) baking sheet. Should I have increased the oven temperature?
Hey Sarah,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe. Do you mean it took longer than 30 minutes for the squash to roast? I am wondering if you needed to cut it into smaller pieces? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Wow! Just wow ? I absolutely loved this recipe!! I’ve shared it with my brother in the U.K. (I’m in Australia) and he’s making it tonight x
Aw that is so amazing! I am really glad you like this one, Simone! I hope your brother loves it just as much! xTieghan
Yummy combination!! Agree with others on a few suggestions: 1. Cook bacon longer; not crispy at all after the time suggested 2. Use half the amount of pasta 3. The egg part didn’t work for me and it never got creamy. Not sure what to suggest here. I’ve never done a recipe like this where you quickly add raw eggs to pasta to make a sauce. Did not work at all for me 4. Use more butternut squash as it was just a hint of the flavor. I will try again and see if I can do better. Thank you for such a creative idea!
Hi Alicia! I am really sorry this did not work for you.. Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Sooo creamy! Never thought to use butternut squash as a sauce for pasta. My toddler and husband both loved it! Will definitely make this again!
To Die For! I have two kids, 18 & 21. They were begging for seconds. My husband loved it too. It took longer to make the whole thing than the instructions indicated, so leave yourself a little more time the first time you make it. I’m a good cook so I don’t know why I couldn’t do it in the time it suggests, so I was rushing a bit, but alas, it was amazing!
Love that!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Elisa! xTieghan
Made this (with a little cream, which worked out well since I forgot the butter), and WOW, soooo good. An immediate favorite and can’t wait to make it again.
Thank you so much V! xTieghan
Hi!! This looks awesome but cant have dairy… is the parmesan cheese crucial to the recipe? Or just for the flavor… lmk! Thanks and love all of your recipes btw?
Hey Abby,
I really think the parm adds flavor and texture here. Could you use a vegan cheese in its place? I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you make it! xTieghan
Can you use frozen butternut squash with this recipe? If so, do you have any suggestions on making that substitution? I only have frozen on hand, and I am dying to try this dish!
Hey Kelly,
You can use the frozen squash as is and just roast it. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
I’m about to make this and kind of want to add a little bit of cream to it, any thoughts on if that’s a good idea? Not great in the kitchen but have been making your recipes like crazy. Thank you.
Hey V,
Honestly, I would skip the cream for this recipe, the carbonara makes it a nice creamy sauce already. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan