I’m always trying to find ways to sneak vegetables into my Carnivore’s diet. The criteria: 1) It butternut taste like a vegetable 2) It butternut look like a vegetable 3) and it butternut crunch. See what I’m dealing with here?
I was inspired by a pasta dish I saw on Bon Appetit – butternut squash puree, pancetta, and a healthy dose of linguine. I knew with a few tweaks I might be able to sneak a bowl of squash into The Carnivore’s diet.
I made a few changes to the original recipe. I roasted the squash, used bacon, and sautéed an onion with a little of the bacon drippings. This pasta dish is decadent, creamy, and with the added bacon my meat eater didn’t bat an eye that he was eating a bowl of pasta smothered in squash.
This dish is gluten-free (if you use gluten-free pasta), and could easily be vegan if you left out the bacon.
Here’s what you need:
- 2lb. butternut squash
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 garlic clove
- 4oz. bacon or pancetta (chopped)
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (or 1/8 tsp. if you don’t like much spice)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 6 oz. linguine
Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Peel and chop your butternut squash. Toss with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt/pepper.
Roast on a foil lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes until tender, flipping your squash halfway through.
While the squash is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dice your bacon or pancetta, reduce heat to medium, and add bacon to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Use a slotted spoon and transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. of bacon drippings. Add onion to your skillet and sauté until onion is translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add chopped garlic in the last minute or two of cooking time. Let the onion, garlic, and squash cool slightly.
Add squash, onion, garlic, sage, red pepper flakes, and vegetable broth to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Combine pasta, squash purée, and ½ cup pasta cooking liquid in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat. Toss and add more pasta cooking liquid as needed until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Add salt/pepper to taste, top with diced bacon, and serve warm.
This makes 2 large servings or 4 servings as a side dish.
I’m so proud of myself for tricking my husband I can hardly stand it. Don’t tell him he ate a serving a squash, he’ll never trust his taste buds again.
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