Creamy Pumpkin Bacon Pasta
A comforting and creamy pasta dish featuring pumpkin and beef bacon.
Equipment
- Skillet or Dutch oven For cooking bacon and sauce.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound beef bacon, chopped
- 1 cup diced onion
- 0.25 cup dry white wine or chicken broth No alcoholic drinks allowed, please substitute with a non-alcoholic option.
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree
- 1 cup light cream
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.5 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 0.5 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound pasta, cooked
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the beef bacon and onion until the bacon is crisp and the onions are soft and lightly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.
- Drain excess bacon grease from the skillet. Add in the wine (or chicken broth) and chicken stock, scraping up the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Stir in the crushed red pepper, nutmeg, pumpkin, cream, salt, and pepper. Combine well and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The scraping adds extra flavor to your sauce!
- Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Adding the cheese off the heat prevents it from clumping.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat evenly. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy your creamy pumpkin bacon pasta!
Notes
For a vegetarian option, you can omit the beef bacon and use olive oil for sautéing the onions.