The Best Fall Carbonara: Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Crispy Sage
This cozy fall carbonara combines roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon, and sage for a creamy, flavorful pasta without heavy cream. A comforting, restaurant-quality dinner made right at home.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Squash:
- 1 small butternut squash or honey nut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup bone broth
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided. 1/4 cup blended into the butternut squash puree and 1/2 cup added right into the pasta at the end while stirring everything together.
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ to 1 cup reserved pasta water
For the Pasta:
- 1 lb pasta of choice Salt your pasta water, a small handful should do it. It should taste salty.
- 8 oz bacon or guicanale cut thinly into 1/4 inch strips or diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- A few fresh sage leaves for frying
- Splash of white wine vinegar optional
Instructions
- Roast the squash at 375°F for about 30 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Scoop out the flesh once it’s cool enough to handle.
- Cook the bacon in a large pot until crisp. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. In the same pan, add a small drizzle of olive oil and fry the sage leaves for one minute until crispy. Remove and set aside for garnish.
- Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining.
- Blend the roasted squash with bone broth, 1/4 cup Parmesan, sage, and pepper until smooth. Add a little extra broth or pasta water as needed to thin it out.
- Add a tablespoon of bacon fat back to the pot and sauté the onion for about 5 to 6 minutes until caramelized. Add garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Pour in the butternut squash sauce and stir to combine.
- Add pasta to the sauce and mix, heat should be on low.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly temper them by adding a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce while whisking constantly.
- Add the tempered egg mixture back to the pot along with ½ cup Parmesan and toss with the cooked pasta. Add pasta water as needed to keep the sauce silky and smooth. Stir, stir, stir to emulsify this all together into a creamy sauce. The sauce thickens as it cools, so go a little thinner then you want.
- Stir in a splash of white wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and top with crispy bacon and sage leaves.
