A Family That Eats Together: Butternut Squash Carbonara

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike.

Carbonara is our ultimate comfort food. When I ran across this recipe in the latest edition of Bon Appétit, I adapted it to fit our family. What I love about this recipe is that it replaces the cholesterol (from traditional carbonara) and adds vitamin-rich butternut squash. When I served it for dinner, a hush took the table and then came all the hums and a big yummy!

Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 2-lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½” pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 12 oz. whole wheat linguine
• ¼ cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
• fresh torn basil

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta and sage to a small bowl; set aside.
2. Add squash, onion, and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, 15–20 minutes. Then purée in a blender or with a hand blender until smooth; season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1-cup pasta cooking liquid.
4. Combine pasta, squash purée, and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Mix in ¼ cup Pecorino and basil; season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve immediately.