Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Bacon

Published: May 31, 2020 · Modified: Oct 31, 2021 by Cooking Chat · This post may contain affiliate links

Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta gets its creaminess from the favorite squash. Topped with bacon and pumpkin seeds for extra flavor. Originally posted in 2015, updated with new photos and a wine pairing in May 2020

Original recipe inspiration

I first developed this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta recipe in response to a Sunday Supper blog group theme on “fall flavor”.

Butternut squash is definitely an ingredient I associate with the fall. I noted that past fall Sunday Supper recipes featured butternut squash in a soup and a risotto.

Using cooked squash as the basis for a healthy, creamy pasta sauce is a good strategy. I use that approach in this Creamy Roasted Acorn Squash Pasta recipe.

Our son was asking for bacon around the time I first made this recipe. So some crispy bacon gets added to the top of the creamy pasta for some delicious savory flavor. Pumpkin seeds added to the top, along with the bacon, add a nice crunch.

Pasta with Creamy Butternut and Bacon for a tasty fall meal.

We have had the Pasta with Creamy Butternut and Bacon primarily as a main course. The dish can also can make a nice side for roasted chicken or turkey.

If you like creamy butternut in this recipe, you might also like our Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Soup. For more seasonal recipes, check out our Best Recipes for Fall collection!

Recipe remake

Although this recipe is definitely great to make in the fall; these days I’ve been looking for ingredients I can get in my limited shopping trips or deliveries that will last awhile.

I figured a butternut squash could last awhile stored in our cellar, so I picked one up early in our stay at home phase. It was down there for at least a month, still in perfect shape, before I decided to do a remake of this butternut squash pasta recipe.

So you don’t need to wait until fall to make this recipe! Pick up a butternut squash next time you are shopping. Maybe save it for when you are low on other fresh veggies.

Recipe tips

The butternut squash gets boiled, the cooked up with some garlic and chicken stock. My original plan was to put the squash mixture into the food processor at the end to reach the desired creamy consistency, but the way the squash broke apart when stirring it, that wasn’t necessary. By the time I stirred in the cream, I had my sauce made right in the skillet.

You can see from the photos that I tossed the creamy butternut with linguine. However, this sauce is pretty thick, so I’d say a short shape like penne or ziti could work too.

My other pointer is to be sure to eat this right after you toss the pasta with the butternut sauce, as it starts to thicken pretty quickly.

I topped the pasta with creamy butternut pasta with some toasted pumpkin seeds along with the bacon bits. A nice crunch to go along with the creaminess!

Pasta with Creamy Butternut and Bacon for a tasty fall #SundaySupper

More bacon! One reader suggests you could add a bit more bacon than called for here. I’m not going to argue with the idea of more bacon!

More squash recipes

We love cooking with squash! Especially in the fall. Here are a few of our favorite recipes featuring squash.

Wine pairing

One important part of updating this post was to add a wine pairing!

The butternut and bacon flavors suggested to me that a Pinot Noir could work well. So I opened the 2013 Holloran Oregon Pinot Noir ($25, 13% ABV) from the Willamette Valley.

This Pinot has violets on the nose. Bright berry fruit with a touch of cinnamon on the palate. Light, ethereal mouthfeel. Very good quality wine, and a good pairing choice for the recipe!

I would say this Holloran Pinot is definitely a good value at $25, and a good option for the dish. But you could certainly try other Pinots you like with it. Or try a different wine and let me know what you come up with–cheers!

Recipe card