Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Pasta

Loaded with roasted vegetables, bacon, whole grain pasta and parmesan cheese. This Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Pasta is a delicious and healthy comfort food dinner!

Have you guys recovered from your food comas yet? I think I’m finally over mine. I of course ate way more than any human should in one day, but that was to be expected.

Instead of going straight from Thanksgiving recipes to Christmas recipes, I’m taking a week off and sharing every day meals. I don’t know about you guys, but I need a break from all the holiday food. Today I’ve got an easy and delicious pasta recipe for you, Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Pasta.

I get so overwhelmed with all the sugary, decadent foods between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m weak and have a hard time saying no to them and by the time the week of Christmas rolls around I’m over it and just want salad and vegetables. The cookies don’t look nearly as good as they did two weeks earlier.

Like everyone else I can’t help but get caught up in all the holiday baking. The actual act of baking is very relaxing to me, it’s the end product hanging around the house, that I can’t keep my hands off of, that stresses me out. At least this year my husband can take them to work to share with his coworkers!

To keep everything in balance I like to have a healthy, hearty dinner ready for days when I do have a few too many treats. This Bacon, Brussels Sprout, Butternut Squash Pasta is a filling and easy to make dinner that’s full of seasonal flavor.

Whenever I make a pasta dish I try to use a whole grain pasta. I’ve actually started to prefer it’s nutty flavor over traditional pasta and it’s much more filling. Between the fiber in the pasta and the fiber in the vegetables, it’s a carb heavy meal you can feel good about eating.

The Brussels sprouts and butternut squash are roasted in the oven and while they roast it’s the perfect amount of time to cook the pasta and the bacon.

The bacon is cooked in a large skillet, then drained on paper towels. The excess grease is poured out of the pan, but don’t wipe it clean. Use that little bit left in the pan to flavor the “sauce”. The sauce is simply the juices from the vegetables, reserved pasta water and parmesan cheese.

The bold flavors of the roasted vegetables, bacon and cheese are enough to where you don’t need any type of cream sauce. Once everything is tossed together in the skillet, top it with some more parmesan cheese and serve right out of the pan. Easy, healthy and fast comfort food!

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Yield: 4 servings

Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Pasta

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Loaded with roasted vegetables, bacon, whole grain pasta and parmesan cheese. This Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Pasta is a delicious and healthy comfort food dinner!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

Roasted Vegetables

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash, peeled
• 2 cups halved Brussels sprouts
• 4 shallots, cut into chunks
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Pasta

• 3/4 pound whole wheat pasta of choice
• 3 strips bacon
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl toss together the vegetables, oil, salt and pepper until coated.
3. Dump the vegetables out onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer.
4. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes then remove from the oven, toss and place back in the oven to roast for another 10 minutes or until the squash is tender.
5. While the vegetables roast cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
7. Cut the bacon into small pieces and add it to the skillet.
8. Cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes, then remove it from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
9. Discard the excess bacon grease, but don't wipe out the skillet.
10. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with the roasted vegetables, bacon and parmesan cheese.
11. Toss everything together and slowly add in some of the pasta water until a sauce starts to form.
12. Season with more salt and pepper and top with extra parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 637mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 12gSugar: 8gProtein: 16g

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