Butternut Carbonara

Squash is not a popular item on our table, unless it comes from the grill… So this time, I neglected to inform my taste-testers of this month’s Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients. I just knew that if I tossed in some bacon, chances of the dish being devoured would go way up!

For this recipe you will need:

• butternut squash
• drizzle of olive oil
• 4 oz. salted butter
• 12 fresh sage leaves (small to medium)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 oz. bacon crumbles
• Parmesan cheese (freshly shred about 2 oz.)

I went to Sprouts and bought the largest butternut squash I could find -- which proved to be slightly problematic for my little Veggetti. Cut off the bulbous portion, seed it & roast separately for some other use. Cut off the stem end and peel the rest of the squash.  Use a spiralizing tool to make “noodles”.  Place the butternut noodles onto a silicone baking sheet in a pan and drizzle with a little olive oil.Bake at 400° for about 7 or 8 minutes. (We prefer most pastas al dente, so I didn’t want them too soft…)

While the squash is baking, brown the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.When it starts browning, add the sage leaves and minced garlic. It takes only a minute or so for them to cook.Gently toss in the butternut noodles from the oven.Add the bacon.After plating the finished noodles, sprinkle with a generous amount of Parmesan.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much the fellas enjoyed dinner! They had seconds and asked for more, but the skillet was empty…

 

Want some more squash & sage recipes? Click the links below to see what my fellow Improvers prepared for you today:

An InLinkz Link-up