My love for pasta really knows no bounds. I love finding new and amazing ways to prepare it. This butternut squash pancetta fettuccine was actually inspired by a dish that I had when I was out to dinner with my friend last week. It was so incredible and I had to work on making my own version! I love getting inspiration from amazing local chefs. I started on the sauce first, and I wanted to make sure it was full of fall flavor.
I simmered the sauce for 15 minutes. I didn’t even chop the sage or garlic clove since it was getting blended later. Once it was done, I let it cool for a few minutes because blending screaming hot liquid is never a good or safe idea.
I finished cooking the pasta in the sauce for a minute. It all melded together gloriously as the pasta absorbed the sauce. That was all there was to making the butternut squash pancetta fettuccine! I served it with some grated parmesan cheese on top and my homemade focaccia bread on the side. It was pure heaven and had all of the fall flavors I love. The salty pancetta with the creamy sauce and tender fettuccine just worked together so well! Buon appetito friends.
- 1/2 pound pancetta diced
- 3 cups (roughly 1 pound) butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- 4 whole sage leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 pinch dried onion
- 1 pound fettuccine
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cook the diced pancetta in the hot pan for about 6-8 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Drain half of the rendered fat out of the pan and then put the pan back on the heat. Add the butternut squash cubes. Let them get soft and fragrant for a couple of minutes, picking up that gorgeous flavor of the pancetta fat.
- Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Then add the milk, sage leaves, garlic clove, salt, crushed red pepper and dried onion. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce it to simmer for about 15 minutes. The butternut squash should get really tender. When the time is up, take the pan off of the heat to let it cool for 2-3 minutes.
- While the sauce cooks, get a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta and salt it generously. Cook the fettuccine until tender for about 8-10 minutes. When the sauce mixture has cooled, transfer it to a blender and puree it thoroughly until smooth. Always be careful putting hot liquids in a blender
- Pour it back into the pan and warm it up over medium low heat. Stir in the reserved diced pancetta and let the mixture bubble for a couple of minutes. The fettuccine should be done at this point. Drain it and pour it into the pan of sauce. Toss it all thoroughly together and let the fettuccine absorb the flavors of the sauce for a minute or two. Take the pan off of the heat. Just plate the pasta and serve with parmesan on top. Crusty bread is amazing with it to mop up any leftover sauce. Enjoy!
Hi! This recipe is amazing ! Would you be interested in becoming an official Chicory App partner?
Hello, thank you so much! I am interested and have been in touch with Hillary recently about setting it up :-).