Winter Spiced Butternut Squash Pasta
Creamy Winter Spiced Butternut Squash Pasta is a cozy, comfort food dish that is perfect for chilly fall and winter nights.
I’VE GOT YOUR NEW FAVORITE MEAL!
Sorry for yelling, but I’m just sooo excited about this Winter Spiced Butternut Squash Pasta.
I created this recipe in collaboration with the feedfeed and Vitamix. A couple of weekends ago, I attended a brunch with some amazing and talented NYC foodies to celebrate the feedfeed’s new Brooklyn location (which is beyond perfectttt, btw). It was a potluck brunch and we each arrived with a fall/winter themed dish using Vitamix’s Winter Spice Seasoning (click here for the recipe). Along with incorporating the Winter Spice Seasoning in our recipes, we also had to use the new Vitamix Explorian Machine. This machine is more compact and perfect for smaller families and tiny NYC kitchens. It’s also so versatile – you can make anything from smoothies to soups to nut butter to cake batters. The possibilities are endless. I seriously have used it every single day since the day I got it.
The Winter Spice Seasoning is a magical blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, orange peel, and a touch of brown sugar. The smell of it alone brings serious cozy winter feels.
If you are a squash lover, you will absolutely love this dish. To make the sauce, you just have to roast some butternut squash and garlic, saute some onions – then throw everything into the Vitamix along with the winter spice seasoning and blend until smooth. Truly winter food at it’s finest!
Roasting the squash and garlic brings out the veggies’ natural sugars which caramelize to perfection. Plus, butternut squash is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, so this dish is most certainly a healthy and lighter alternative to cream-based pasta sauces.
I originally made this dish with pork belly, but later decided that I would prefer it with thick cut bacon instead. So, use bacon unless you reallyyy LOVE pork belly. Then, use pork belly.
And if you are vegan or vegetarian, just leave out the meat all together!
Winter Spiced Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 5 cups 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 3 cloves unpeeled garlic
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
- 6 slices thick cut bacon or 3 slices pork belly, cut into 1/2-in cubes
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Winter Spice Seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 12- oz pack pappardelle or pasta of choice
- 4-6 sage leaves for serving
- fresh parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread cubed butternut squash out on baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt. Drizzle garlic cloves with 1 tsp oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on corner of baking sheet. Roast 40-45 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente according to package. Reserve 2 cups pasta water.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Add chopped onion to skillet with bacon grease and saute until soft and translucent. Remove from heat.
- Transfer roasted butternut squash and cooked onion to a blender. Squeeze roasted garlic out of it paper and add to veggies. Add 2 cups pasta water, Winter Spice Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth.
- Serve over cooked pasta. Top with bacon, sage, and grated parmesan.
