Creamy Squash Fettuccine! Silky creamy sauce, caramelized onion, fork-twirled noodles, topped with the crispy pancetta and delicate little flakes of salty parmesan and fried sage leaves.
Creamy Squash Fettuccine with Caramelized Onion and Pancetta
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This recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it for dinner tonight and I couldn’t be happier with how easy and delicious it was!
Sarah Marino
Good news: yes, this is as luscious as it looks.
And yes, you can make use of your squash that you either grew in your garden (shout out to you!) or bought from someone else who grew it because you were busy doing other things (it me).
This recipe is a cozy date-night-at-home dream for the fall, or the winter, or the ANYTIME.
The silky sauce, the caramelized onion, the fork-twirled noodles, topped with the crispy pancetta and delicate little flakes of salty parmesan and fried sage leaves… all of it just makes you want to wrap up in a blanket and burrow into a pasta cave and come out sometime never.
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
I mostly like this recipe for a fancy date night, but I have to tell you, the little two-year-old who tags along on most of our food experiences was VERY, VERY excited about this “pastha” and helped me remember that this can really serve almost any situation:
- Treat yoself dinner for one
- Romantic dinner for two
- Awesome dinner for the family just because you’re that great
The sage leaves are optional, but please, for all that’s delicious: the heavenly squash-and-cream sauce, the fried bits of pancetta, and the deeply golden caramelized onions are essential.
To pasta love.
Common Questions About This Yummy Squash Fettuccine
Do I need a whole butternut squash for this recipe?
In my experience, 1 butternut squash yields about 3 cups of cubed, peeled squash. This means you’ll need about half of a butternut squash for this recipe.
What do you do with the rest of the squash?
You have options! You could freeze it for later, add it to a soup, roast it up for a salad, or use it in a curry.
How can I make this vegan?
Skip the cream and the pancetta! Or, if you want it to be creamier, use your favorite non-dairy heavy cream sub. You could also give this recipe a try as an alternative!
Can I use dried thyme instead?
Yep! You could use about a teaspoon of dried thyme in place of the fresh.
How do I make caramelized onion dip?
Ready? Step 1: Cut a few onions. Step 2: Caramelize those onions in a pan. Step 3: Mix them up with everything else in a bowl and EAT.
I drew on a few sources of inspiration for this magical recipe, including this one (not vegan) and this one (vegan) and this squash sauce pasta of years past.
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Creamy Squash Fettuccine with Caramelized Onion and Pancetta
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Description
Creamy Squash Fettuccine! Silky creamy sauce, caramelized onion, fork-twirled noodles, topped with the crispy pancetta and delicate little flakes of salty parmesan and fried sage leaves.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Squash Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (see notes)
- swish of olive oil + sprinkle of salt
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 small clove garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (honestly, it’s delicious with or without the cream – your choice)
Other Yums:
- 2–3 ounces pancetta, cut into small pieces
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- a few sage leaves (optional)
Pasta:
- 8 ounces fettuccine or pappardelle (half a box)
- freshly grated parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and a little salt. Add thyme sprigs. Roast for 20-30 minutes until soft and fragrant.
- Fry the pancetta: Meanwhile, fry pancetta bits in a skillet until crispy and browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the grease.
- Caramelize the onion: Turn the heat down and let the pan cool for a moment. Add the onion to the pancetta grease. Sauté for 20-30 minutes (while you’re waiting for the squash to roast) until soft, fragrant, and caramel-colored. (Optional: after you remove the onions, fry the sage right in the same pan.)
- Cook the pasta: While you wait on the onions and squash, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Blend the squash sauce: Transfer squash to a blender (removing thyme sprigs). Puree the squash with the broth, garlic, and salt until smooth.
- Almost there: Place your cooked pasta in your onion pan over medium low heat. Pour squash sauce over pasta. Toss gently with cream and about half of the onions. It should be looking real good right now.
- Serve it up all fancy: Plate up the pasta. Top with caramelized onions, pancetta, sage, and fresh Parmesan. Are you at a restaurant? YOU ARE TOTALLY AT A RESTAURANT. Mwah!
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Notes
Squash: In my experience, 1 butternut squash yields about 3 cups of cubed, peeled squash. This means you’ll need about half of a butternut squash for this recipe. I usually just go ahead and roast the entire squash, reserving the 1 1/2 cups for this recipe and saving the other half of roasted squash for easy and kid-friendly meal prep! I like to throw it in salads, soups and stews, curries, etc.
Save time on onion prep with this guide on how to cut an onion.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: squash pasta, fall pasta recipe, fettuccine recipe, squash pasta sauce
September 14, 2020
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Awesome work Lindsay! I love reading your posts!
this looks absolutely delicious. I’ve never thought of putting together a meal like this with creamy squash and noodles. very healthy looking meal. 🙂
I had a bumper crop of Seminole squash from my garden this summer, but only a couple of Butternut squash. Could I substitute a Seminole squash for the Butternut squash? Thank you!
I’m not super familiar with seminole squash, but if it’s a similar texture to butternut, I don’t see why not!
This looks so good and cozy! Would frozen butternut squash work ok here? I have a bag in the freezer to use up!
I’d think so! Might be a tad different texture as you likely would not need to roast the squash!
This looks so.. good. I’ve be following low carb. meals and feel so much better. Any recipes you can suggest?
We don’t have a low carb category on POY, but you can check out all our gluten-free recipes here that would include some! http://wvaea.org/recipes?fwp_healthy=gluten-free
I’m wondering, for those of us who don’t eat dairy but like the creaminess — do you think an egg mixed in would work? like you’d do for a carbonara?
Hmmm good question! I would probably lean towards no, since a large part of carbonara is the egg emulsifying with the cheese. If you give it a try and it does work, let us know!
I made this with cashews instead of heavy cream. I added about 3/4 cup to the vitamix with the squash & vegetable broth, it added the perfect creaminess without the dairy!
Trader Joes sells cubed butternut squash!
Game-changer!
looks heavently ..
Oh my gosh this looks amazing, pinning!!
Enjoy! 🙂
I made this yesterday (was inspired in the morning) and it is delicious! My 12 yr old son ate it for lunch & dinner yesterday AND breakfast this morning!! 😆 Definitely a success in our house.
Nothing better than pasta for breakfast! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I just made this tonight and we loved it!!! I was going to sub meatballs for pancetta but instead did both… oh my gourd, soo good! Thanks for the recipe!
Ohhhh yum! Sounds delicious!
Looks delicious. I love creamy dishes and I am going to try this today. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hope you enjoy it, Mark!
I am so in love with this recipe!
And just in case anyone needs this information, I made it vegan very easily! I omitted the pancetta and in place of the cream I added almond milk, it was silky and velvety perfection!
Will squash-hating-spouse realize I’m feeding him butternut squash? Or is taste masked by the stronger flavours of pancetta going on?
The cream and pancetta definitely help, but might be hard to totally hide that it’s squash! 🙂
It looks delicious 🙂
This was definitely a labor of love (I doubled it) but we all thoroughly enjoyed it, including my three kids 5 and under. Served alongside a salad from our garden and it was a delicious, filling, and elegant meal. POY FTW yet again!
Yum! Sounds delicious!
just love the way you explained it , its looking delicious
Beautiful!
looks amazing, and I’m sure it will taste good,
ohh what will I give to taste that plate,
Made this today. It was yummy. Since I am vegetarian I added walnuts and rosemary to the onions.
And it is ok to use all the sauce on only 2 portions, right?
Yep!
Omg, omg, omg. This was absolutely delicious! Do yourselves a favor and make this recipe, you won’t regret it 🙂 Thanks Pinch of Yum for sharing all your wonderful recipes. My family has had a lot of happy moments at the dinner table thanks to your wonderful recipes.
So glad to hear this, Elsa!
This recipe is absolutely amazing!! I made it for dinner tonight and I couldn’t be happier with how easy and delicious it was!
This recipe was so incredible that my fiancé asked me to add it to our regular rotation of meals! 10/10
A very beautiful composition!
Thank you for sharing!
Even better: forget the pasta and use spaghetti squash for noodles. Always.
This was simple but decadent. Absolutely delicious!
Happy to hear it, Madeline!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Smooth, creamy, salty, sweet…just delightful. Thank you
So glad you liked the recipe, Beth!