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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.

overhead photo of Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon

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.

overhead photo of Butternut Squash and bacon before roasting

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.

overhead photo of Butternut Squash and Rosemary Bacon after bacon on sheet pan

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.

Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara in pot after tossing

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.

side angled close up photo of Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with 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.

overhead close up photo of Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon

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

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

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.
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overhead horizontal photo of Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon

This post was originally published on September 17, 2020
4.31 from 1005 votes (821 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely incredible! Especially the bacon, it literally melts in your mouth, and has the most delicious candied flavor. It’s so nice to have a new recipe using butternut squash. All of the recipes I’ve tried of yours having been so amazing! I made the pizza rolls today and my kids devoured them. Thank you for your time creating these phenomenal recipes! I can’t wait to make more.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Amazing recipe !!!
    So so so delicious, ended up eating way too much of it, and the “glazed” bacon on top is an absolute must ! Brings everything so well together ! Also tried replacing the bacon with tofu for my vegetarian boyfriend but preparing it the same way as the bacon and it was delicious as well !! Thank you so much for such great recipes !!!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness, I LOVED this recipe. I love butternut squash and had some left over from a soup I made recently so I decided to give this one a go. The bacon is what makes it so special-the flavor from the rosemary and the pepper is heaven. This is definitely getting added to my regular dinner rotation.

    Reply

  4. I had doubts about being able to make this come out right, but then I added pasta water in the last step and it came out beautifully! Have faith! It was even more delicious then i expected!

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and was truly blown away by the tastes of everything together! My husband who claims not to like squash devoured this and also mentioned this is the only way I should make bacon from now on. Thanks so much for anything AMAZING recipe, Tieghan!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    This pasta is creamy rich and incredible. The spicy-sweet bacon is so tasty and a great accent to the dish. I’d make a little more bacon next time.

    Reply

  7. 4 stars
    I found that the back didn’t crisp over the butternut squash, and the butternut squash needed more time to cook than the directions said even though I cubed them pretty small. I ended up baking it in the oven to get to the right done-ness, but next time I think I will pan fry the bacon first to get it crispy then toss the butternut squash in the oil before cooking for about 40 min. The taste was phenomenal and I will be giving this a second try!

    Reply

  8. 4 stars
    Not sure how you made this in 30 minutes….took me much longer. Bacon took a lot longer to crisp up, almost half an hour. My sauce was THICK, too thick, and I used quite a bit of water…thinking I used too much squash (my fault, but it was a small squash). Flavor was fantastic…loved the spicy bacon on top. Soooo good! Hubs liked it better than the vodka sauce version I made a few weeks ago.

    Reply

    1. Hi Lida! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying this one! If you have any questions, please let me know! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. 4 stars
    Thanks so much Tieghan, this was delicious. Even my super-picky six-year-old loved it. One question – the egg/cheese mix scrambled and went lumpy when I mixed it with the pasta. Any tips for avoiding this and getting a smoother finish? Thanks again!

    Reply

    1. Hey Emily,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! The eggs will scramble if the pasta or pot is too high so you will want to remove that from the heat. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. The combination of bacon, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and squash in the oven should be a new fall scented candle! Can’t wait to finish this recipe!

    Reply

  11. This looks so good! I want to try and make it for a family brunch and was wondering if the sauce and bacon could be made a day ahead.

    Reply

    1. Hey Krisa,
      This is one of those dishes that you want to make and then serve immediately. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    We absolutely loved this! This was my first time making a carbonara and I ended up with some egg scrambles. Once I add the pasta back to the pan should I have the pan on a different unheated burner? I stirred really quickly right when I put the egg in but it immediately scrambled so wondering if there’s anything I could do differently. Thank you!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Laura,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! If your burner is still warm then yes you definitely want the pot to be sitting on a cold burner. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    This was an excellent recipe! My only comment is that the squash did not purée in the food processor so that was a bit of a disappointment. Next time I’ll use a blender or immersion blender. And there WILL be a next time!

    Reply

  15. There’s a typo- it says “The squash adds just adds that much more flavor to the already delicious butternut squash.”
    I think you meant “The bacon adds…”
    Either way, I’m sure it tastes good.

    Reply