This Creamy Butternut Squash Penne with Bacon and Broccoli is packed full of veggies, and the perfect balance of savory and sweet. It’s a perfect fall meal for the whole family!
Well it looks like I’ve got quite the adventurous eater on my hands. The little one will try just about anything, and gobbles up things I never would have thought a one-year-old would like. Like hot sauce. She loves it and will dip anything in it, grapes included. She loves dipping things and yelling, “Dip! Dip! Dip!”
She also housed a bunch of jumbo garlic-stuffed green olives one night, and just yesterday morning she refused her pancakes in favor of some homemade lox that Dad and I were eating. It’s pretty fun to see her try all kinds of new things.
Since she’s so adventurous, it’s pretty easy to sneak extra veggies into her tried and true favorites, like pasta. Making sauces out of pureed veggies is a great way to get kiddos to eat them, and yummy for the whole family!
Since we’re all in the fall spirit, butternut squash is the perfect seasonal veggie to make into a creamy sauce for some whole wheat penne. I added bacon and Parmesan, to balance out the sweetness, and then some steamed broccoli to up the veggie ante even more.
This pasta was a hit with the whole household, and I loved that it made a big batch so we had plenty of leftovers. If you’re craving a big bowl of fall comfort food that’s good for you too, definitely try this yummy Creamy Butternut Squash Penne with Bacon and Broccoli!
- 1 lb whole wheat penne
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium head broccoli, steamed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large saute pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and let drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool.
- Pour all but about 1 tbsp bacon grease out of pan. Place pan back on the stove over medium heat and add onions. Cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Add butternut squash, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Add the chicken stock, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) until squash is tender, about 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer cooked squash/onion to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Return puree to the saute pan and stir in cream, nutmeg and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, cooked penne, crumbled bacon and steamed broccoli. Toss to evenly coat with sauce.
- Serve topped with extra Parmesan!
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