Roasted butternut squash alfredo with candied bacon

Photo: Half Baked Harvest

Spiced roasted squash blended into a cream-cheese alfredo with Parmesan and gouda, over linguine, with maple-and-rosemary candied bacon crumbled on top. Rich, and meant to be.

From Tieghan Gerard at Half Baked Harvest · @halfbakedharvest

The squash and the bacon roast on the same pan while the pasta boils, so it's a Tuesday dinner that tastes like a weekend.

You need

• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• 6 to 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lb pasta (linguine is good)
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) salted butter
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 to 2 cups heavy cream or whole milk (or half and half of each), as needed
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ cup grated gouda

How to make it

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). On one side of a sheet pan, toss the squash with a drizzle of olive oil, the smoked paprika, chili powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pepper. On the other side, toss the bacon with the rosemary, cayenne and maple syrup.
2. Roast 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is soft and the bacon is crisp and glazed. Lift the bacon onto a plate.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Save 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
4. Blend about half the roasted squash with 1 cup of the cream until smooth.
5. In the empty pasta pot, melt the butter over medium heat with the sage until it foams, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and whisk until melted, then the blended squash. Whisk in the Parmesan and gouda until smooth, adding more cream or milk until it's a pourable sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add the pasta and the rest of the squash and toss, loosening with pasta water as needed so it coats every strand. Serve topped with the candied bacon, broken into pieces.

Written in our own words from Tieghan Gerard's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Roasted butternut squash alfredo with candied bacon, Half Baked Harvest.

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