Creamy Butternut Squash Noodles with Bacon and Spinach

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Butternut squash is spiralized into “noodles” and tossed with creamy mascarpone cheese, bacon, and fresh spinach. What a fantastic way to eat your veggies

I officially have a new obsession in my life. The spiralizer. How I went this long without owning one I’ll never know! I think everyone needs one of these handy little gadgets – it will completely change the way you eat your veggies!

The most popular vegetable to spiralize is zucchini – it’s mild in flavor and looks very much like traditional spaghetti once it’s cut. However, zucchini isn’t in season now, so I decided to start with butternut squash. I’m very curious about the zucchini, though, so I probably will pick a few up if I find good ones!

To spiralize the butternut squash, you’ll only need the top part (not the round bottom where the seeds are). To use up the rest of the butternut squash you could any one of these recipes. (My favorite is the soup!)

Once the squash is in noodle form, I like to separate them a bit and cut them down in size as they tend to be really long! Then, toss them with some olive oil and season them up and you’re ready to roast. I like to roast the noodles to really give them lots of flavor and the texture comes out perfect this way

Ingredients

• 1 Butternut Squash, top half only*
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 4 Slices Thick Bacon, sliced crosswise into small strips
• 1 Onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
• ¼ Cup Chicken Broth
• 2 Cups Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
• ¼ Cup (2 oz.) Mascarpone Cheese
• Freshly Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. Using a spiralizer shred the butternut squash into spaghetti noodles. Toss the noodles with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the noodles evenly onto a baking sheet (they will overlap). Roast the butternut squash for 10-15 minutes, or until “al dente”.
3. Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp in a large skillet over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Discard all but about 2 teaspoons of the bacon grease. (I just eyeball this)
4. Return the pan back to medium heat and add in the onion. Sauté the onion until lightly brown, about 2 minutes, then add in the garlic. Toss in the roasted butternut squash noodles.
5. Turn the heat down to low and add in the chicken broth, spinach, and mascarpone cheese. Stir well to melt the cheese and combine everything.
6. Transfer the “pasta” to serving plates and top with crisp bacon and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

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