Nothing says comfort food like creamy, cheesy pasta. And these linguine have it all, with a creamy ricotta base, sharp pecorin cheese, sweet roasted butternut squash and crispy bacon. Pure comfort in a bowl.
As the weather gets colder and colder I find myself only craving comfort food. No salads, no sandwiches, Comfort food. Which to me is anything that is warm, creamy, possibly cheesy and that tastes the bomb. And because I love to cook seasonally, I am making the most of all the beautiful pumpkins and butternut squashes I can lay my hands on. Like my Chipotle Butternut Squash Chilli, which has been a meal-prep lunch staple for the past three weeks or so (legit not bored yet). Or like this cosy, super comforting Creamy Butternut Squash and Bacon Linguine, featuring a roasted butternut squash and ricotta creamy base, crispy streaky bacon and salty shavings of pecorino romano cheese. And yes, this tastes as amazing as it sounds!
This is the perfect weekend pasta dish (if you happen to make a Sunday pasta bake, or Sunday meatballs, this is the perfect Fall substitute). Lately, we have been enjoying this in the cold weekend evenings, alongside a generous glass of red wine. And we have absolutely loved it. So creamy, sweet 'n' salty. And so simple too! A great fuss-free dinner option.
Key Elements that Make this Creamy Butternut Squash & Bacon Linguine a Winner:
Roasted Butternut Squash: We roast the butternut squash in cubes until fully soft and slightly caramelised, along with whole garlic cloves and bay leaves.
Ricotta: Also known as the most versatile soft cheese ever (at least that's how I like to call it), ricotta is what will give this pasta the perfect creamy and yet light texture. You literally won't believe there is no cream in this recipe!
Bacon: I like to use unsmoked streaky bacon here, but if back bacon is everything you have got on hand, that will also do. We will sauté to perfection in a pan until crispy. We will both incorporate it into the pasta sauce and sprinkle deliberately all over the finished product, like you would Parmesan.
Pecorino Romano: Pecorino Romano is a salty type of pecorin cheese. It's sharp and mainly used in cooking rather than for eating as it is. It's now widely available in UK supermarkets, but if you are struggling to find it where you are, you can substitute it for Parmesan cheese (though the flavour will inevitably change a bit). Still good though!
Linguine: The star of the show, I love linguine because I find it holds pasta sauce much better than spaghetti, but whatever type of pasta you have got at home, be it short-cut or long-cut, will still deliver great results. I am just being very Italian here.
Steps to Make this Creamy Butternut Squash & Bacon Liguine:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel and cut the butternut squash into small, bite-sized cubes and whack them in a roasting tin along with 3 whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, or until the butternut squash is soft.
Step 2: Cut the bacon finely into very small chunks and fry it in a non-stick pan with a small drizzle of olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, or until crispy and slightly charred. Transfer it into a bowl.
Step 3: Once the butternut squash comes out of the oven, start boiling your pasta according to package instructions. In the meantime, transfer the butternut squash, garlic, ricotta cheese, and Pecorino Romano to a blender or food processor and blend until you have a smooth, thick sauce. If you want, you can reserve some of the cubed butternut squash as a topping for later.
Step 4: Transfer the sauce to a heated pan with a little bit of olive oil and, a little at a time, add about 1 cup of the pasta water to the pan, mixing well until you reach the level of thickness and creaminess that you like. Add 3/4 of the bacon to the sauce.
Step 5: Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, mixing well. Top with the remaining bacon, butternut squash cube and more Pecorino shavings.
Ingredients:
Serves 2
500 gr butternut squash
3 large garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
150 gr ricotta
4 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese + more for dusting
4 slices unsmoked streaky bacon
170 gr linguine
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel and cut the butternut squash into small, bite-sized cubes and whack them in a roasting tin along with 3 whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Roast for 35 minutes, or until the butternut squash is soft.
Cut the bacon finely into very small chunks and fry it in a non-stick pan with a small drizzle of olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, or until it gets crispy and slightly charred. Transfer it into a bowl and set it aside.
Once the butternut squash comes out of the oven, start boiling your pasta according to package instructions. In the meantime, squeeze the roasted garlic 'flesh' into a blender of food processor and add the butternut squash, ricotta cheese, and Pecorino Romano.
Blend until you have a smooth, thick sauce. If you want, you can reserve about 50 gr of the cubed butternut squash as a topping for later.
Transfer the sauce to a heated pan with a little bit of olive oil and, a little at a time, add about 1 cup of the pasta water (roughly a full ladle's worth) to the pan, mixing well until you reach the level of thickness and creaminess that you like. Add 3/4 of the bacon to the sauce.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, mixing well. Top with the remaining bacon, butternut squash cube and more Pecorino shavings.
Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? Let us know how it turned out by leaving a comment below! Xx
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