Butternut Squash Fettuccine Alfredo

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed butternut squash
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese
8 ounces dry fettuccine
1-2 cups reserved pasta water
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut your butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds. Cut into cubes until you get about 3 cups worth. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
3. While the squash is cooking, fry bacon in a skillet until crispy. Once done, remove the bacon from the pan and place it onto a plate. Keep the bacon grease in the skillet and add minced garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Once the garlic is done, remove it from the pan and set aside. Keep pan with bacon grease.
4. Cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water and drain the rest.
5. When done roasting, add cubed butternut squash, garlic and ½ cup of pasta water to a heat-safe blender. Blend until creamy. Add more pasta water if needed.
6. Add butternut squash mixture back to the pan that you cooked the bacon in. Warm up over medium heat. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir and mix until combined.
7. Add drained fettuccine noodles. Use tongs to mix until noodles are completely covered in the sauce. Add additional reserved pasta water to the sauce if you want a thinner Alfredo.
8. Crunch up bacon into small pieces. Serve fettuccine warm with crispy bacon pieces on top.