Winter squash season is one of my favorite food seasons. I absolutely adore butternut squash in any way it can be cooked. Sadly though, it’s one of those things I have not mastered growing in my garden. This year we had several generous friends share their squash bounty and I’ve had a lovely little pile to slowly work my way through. One of the things I made this fall was a baked pasta that was absolutely delicious. Smoky bacon, sweet squash, and caramelized onions are tossed with provolone and mozzarella and make complete magic in the oven. I could not stop eating this dish. Thankfully it made leftovers so I could have it for lunch for a few days.
The one change I made to this recipe was that I didn’t layer the squash/bacon/onion mixture on top of the pasta. I just mixed it all in so it was more casserole style. This was purely in an effort to get the kids to dig in- which I knew they wouldn’t if all they saw was a layer of squash. As it turned out, that’s exactly the way I would make it again. Then you get little bites of everything at once, and you want little bites of everything at once. So, so good.
Onions substitute just fine for the shallots- but I would consider using a little more than a cup- they were really good. The only other note I might make is that I used full fat milk since we don’t use low-fat dairy products. Gosh, just typing this up I want to make it again. When I served this we had it with the very last of the farm-fresh cantaloupe. Some of the best we’ve had all year, and was the perfect counterpoint to the pasta.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
from Cooking Light magazine, March 2004
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.