This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Creamy Alfredo made with real butter, sage, cream, freshly grated parmesan, sweet gouda, and roasted butternut squash, then finished with pieces of candied bacon. It’s the warmest, creamiest pasta for chilly fall and winter nights. Simple and so satisfying.
Half Baked Harvest At Home
20+ new recipes for wholesome comfort food made with everyday ingredients. Pre-order today! HBH At Home will be released on Tuesday, February 23rd!
The weather in New York shifted so fast this week. When I first arrived, it still felt like summer, with temperatures over eighty degrees. But over the weekend, everything changed, and today feels like the most perfect fall day. It’s pretty amazing.
The shift in weather immediately put me into planning mode for Thanksgiving, got me excited for Christmas, and made me even more excited to share this pasta.
It’s such a good fall pasta with sweet and spicy roasted butternut squash and almost candy-like bacon. It might sound a little funny for pasta, I know, but it’s really great!
Almost every fall, I end up creating some kind of butternut squash pasta. I love butternut squash and always think we don’t cook with it enough. Recently, my favorite way to use it has been roasting it and tossing it into a creamy pasta. Instead of blending the squash into the sauce, I leave the pieces whole so you get bites of sweet, spiced squash swirled throughout.
Then there’s the bacon. It gets crispy in the oven and is finished with a little maple so it becomes almost candied. The sweet, salty, spicy mix is so delicious with the creamy Alfredo sauce.
When I first made this last fall, it quickly became a favorite. So much so that I ended up serving it over Christmas when we had family here. It was A LOT of pasta to make for everyone, but it ended up being such a great Christmas dinner!
These are the details
Ingredients
- butternut squash
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- cinnamon
- bacon
- fresh rosemary
- cayenne pepper
- maple syrup
- long or short-cut pasta, I like linguine
- salted butter
- fresh sage
- cream cheese – make sure this is very much at room temperature and not cold
- whole milk or heavy creamy – like to use half of each
- parmesan cheese
- gouda cheese
The Steps
Step 1: Start with the squash and bacon
First, get the butternut squash onto a sheet pan with smoked paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. I love this mix. It gives the squash a sweet, smoky, spicy flavor that is so good once roasted.
Scoot the squash to one side of the pan, then add the bacon to the other with rosemary and cayenne. Roast everything together until the squash is tender and the bacon is getting crispy.
Towards the end, toss the bacon with maple syrup, then put the pan back in the oven. This is what makes the bacon almost candy-like. Sweet, salty, spicy, and crispy.
Tip: Keep an eye on the bacon towards the end. Once the maple is added, it can go from perfectly caramelized to too dark pretty quickly.
Step 2: Cook the pasta
While everything is roasting, boil the pasta. I love linguine here, but long or short, honestly, use whatever pasta you love or have on hand.
Before draining, scoop out some of the pasta water. I always save more than I think I’ll need. It’s the easiest way to loosen the sauce at the end without watering down the flavor.
Step 3: Make the creamy Alfredo
In the same pot you cooked the pasta in, brown the butter with fresh sage. Let the butter get lightly golden and the sage crisp up a bit. Your kitchen will smell so good.
Turn the heat down, then stir in the cream cheese. Once melted, whisk in the cream, parmesan, and gouda. Let everything gently simmer together until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
My tip: Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in. You want everything to melt together slowly so the sauce stays really creamy.
And use freshly grated parmesan if you can. It melts so much nicer into the sauce.
Step 4: Toss everything together
Add the pasta straight into the sauce along with about half of the roasted squash and candied bacon. Toss everything together until the pasta is really coated and creamy.
If the sauce feels too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water. I usually end up adding a little. You want the sauce creamy enough to really cling to the pasta.
Step 5: Finish
Divide the pasta between bowls, then spoon the remaining roasted squash and candied bacon over top. Finish with extra parmesan and fresh sage.
I love leaving some of the squash and bacon for the top instead of mixing it all in. You get those delicious roasted pieces in every bowl, plus it makes the pasta look so pretty.
Eat this one right away while the sauce is warm and creamy. So delicious!
Candied Butternut Squash Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 pound long or short-cut pasta, , I like linguine
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons or a half cup) salted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1-2 cups heavy cream or whole milk,, as needed (I use equal amounts of both)
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup grated gouda cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss the squash with paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Scoot to one side. Add the bacon, rosemary, and cayenne to the other side. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss the bacon with maple syrup and bake for another 5 minutes, until caramelized.3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain.4. In the same pot, brown the butter with the sage. Turn the heat down to LOW and stir in the cream cheese until melted. Whisk in the cream, parmesan, and gouda. Season with pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.5. Add the pasta and half of the squash and bacon. Toss until creamy, adding pasta water as needed. Divide between bowls. Top with the remaining roasted squash and candied bacon, parmesan, and sage. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi! making this tomorrow, just wondering if butternut needs any oil when cooking? seems like it would stick… unless the bacon grease travels over to the squash? I’m probably over thinking but don’t want stuck squash on a baking sheet.. lol
Hey Jennifer,
You can add a touch of olive oil:) I hope you love this dish, let me know how it turns out for you!
The roasting time for the squash was much longer than what the recipe called for
Hi Bekah,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback. I’m very sorry to hear your squash took longer than expected. Next time, I would cut your squash into smaller cubes. I hope this helps!
So delicious! No notes!
Hi Randi,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for choosing to make this recipe, I’m so glad it was enjoyed. Have the best week!
I would pay to eat this 🙂
Lol thanks so much, Renie!!
Wow, absolutely amazing flavors!! I lightened the sauce (barely) by using 6 Tbsp Butter and 5oz Cream Cheese. Also did a 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup 2% milk w/ a splash of the pasta water. Would probably cut down a little more on the butter next time. Nice heat from the cayenne to balance the sweetness of the butternut squash and maple bacon.
Hey Elle,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for choosing to make this recipe and taking the time to comment. Have a great Thursday!
This was really good. Everyone loved it. Just make sure that the squash is fully cooked before taking it out of the oven.
Hey Jamie,
Awesome! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
Used prosciutto instead of bacon, but made everything else according to the recipe and it was delicious AND easy (because I used precut butternut squash). Will definitely make again this season.
Hey Bethany,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for trying this dish, so glad to hear it was a hit!
Very good! A bit rich, but we loved it!
Thanks so much, Ashley! Love to hear this pasta was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great Sunday!
Which of your fabulous cookbooks has this recipe?
Hi Eunice,
This recipe is only on the blog:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish!
Wondering if you could use yams or sweet potatoes instead of squash.
Hey Sandy,
Sure, I bet either of those would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Not a fan of Gouda cheese…any Italian cheese substitute suggestions for the flavor profile of this recipe ?
Hi there,
Havarti or parmesan would be nice options to use in place of the gouda. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish!
I would suggest Italian fontina since it melt similar to a soft gouda, but it is more mile and creamy.
T-it is a sec football game day here in Wyoming. Browsing this week’s email from you, this recipe pops out and I am going to make it today. Would you mind suggesting one of your famous salads that would be good as well as – a protein? We have a house full of hearty arm chair athlete appetites!
Hey Betsy,
Lol love this!! Here are some recipes you all might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/strawberry-feta-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-sweet-potato-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cheddar-apple-kale-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/butternut-squash-orzo-salad/
To keep things easy, I would just grill up some chicken to serve on the side. I hope this helps! Have a great weekend!
Thank you! I have tried all those salads except the strawberry feta one – so- that will be the winner. I think grilled chicken is a great protein – hearty pasta butternut dish anyway but some people’s adult kids have to have their protein. 😂 thank you!!
what sized pieces to you cut the squash and the bacon into? Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
I like to cube my squash and bacon into bite sized pieces for this dish. You can checkout the photos above for a better size reference:) I hope this dish turns out well for you. Have a great Friday!
Jumping in to clarify my question – which one of your famous salads and proteins would be a good side for the butternut squash pasta. Sorry!
This sounded really good. But to lighten it up a bit I make it subbing chicken stock for the cream and using 1 TB of butter for frying the sage. Flavours were good. Will make it again with those substitutions.
Hey Maria,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and taking the time to comment, I’m so glad it was enjoyed!
Have a great Friday!
This sounds amazing!! Need some ingredients so I’m adding it to my “next Week’s dinners” list! Thanks for this one!!
Thanks so much, Lisa! I hope you love this pasta, let me know how it turns out for you!