Creamy Butternut, Bacon and Leek Pappardelle.
Somebody give me a gigantic fork.
Because this is my serving. Right here.
Just when I think I can’t get any more common… oh wait – I can! Show me all the fall scenery forever.
This is the second recipe I’m sharing from my video with DeLallo yesterday and it is easily my FAVE.
I get it. It’s not even complicated. It’s not some super unique creation or full of a million ingredients.
But the flavors together are UNREAL. The flavor in the dish is frighteningly addicting and wonderful.
I’m also loving pappardelle at the moment. If you’ve followed along you know I’ve never been a pasta lover (more room for cheesecake please) but now I’m dying to make my own pappardelle at home. Except… I’m lazy at the thought of it. Like I want to DO it, but I don’t want to REALLY do it, if you get what I’m saying. Plus, with zero Italian genes and my severe lack of patience, I just figure it will be a disaster before it begins.
I probably should do this before I go into labor? Hey! Maybe the pure act of making pappardelle will send me into labor. In that case, I’ll wait a few weeks? Famous last procrastinator words.
Until then, I’ll be devouring these egg pappardelle pasta nests (how ridiculously cute?!) when the craving hits. My all-time favorite comfort food when I was growing up was a pulled pot roast that my mom served with egg noodles, mashed potatoes and a huge smothering of gravy.
That dish is up next with these. OH yes it is.
Now…
While this skillet is made with cream or half & half, it really gives a nice coating to the pappardelle and isn’t overly rich. In fact, I find it to be the perfect balance of cheese and creaminess – where a proper portion makes you feel jusssst right. We aren’t swimming in sauce here. The pasta soaks up a bit of that creamy goodness and it’s like the entire skillet is coated in a light blanket of cheesy love.
Can’t
get
enough.
AND! You can also totally incorporate brussels sprouts into the pasta – replace the leeks or go halvsies – because it’s the only way to make this better.
Creamy Butternut, Bacon and Leek Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 4 cleaned and trimmed leeks, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed butternut squash
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup half and half, or heavy cream!
- 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 8 ounces pappardelle pasta cooked
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until most of the fat is rendered and the bacon is almost crispy, then add the leeks and stir to coat. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and butternut cubes along with the pepper and nutmeg. (At this point I usually begin to cook the pappardelle.) Toss the squash well to coat it in the bacon fat, then cover the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes – until the squash is JUST tender enough to eat. You don’t want it breaking down.
- With the heat on low, stir in the half and half and the cheese. Cook and stir until the cream is just warmed, then stir in the cooked pasta. Toss the ingredients in the skillet well. Taste and season additionally with salt if desired – I usually find that the bacon is salty enough for the entire dish. Serve immediately!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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it’s an autumn cuddle.
95 Comments on “Creamy Butternut, Bacon and Leek Pappardelle.”
i don’t need a fork. I will just face plant into that pasta and slurp it up!
I want this all up in my face right now. I’m starving as someone counts a million Euros in front of me and my stomach is screaming LEAVE THIS PLACE SO I CAN CRAM FOOD IN MY FACE HOLE. ugh.
I will arm wrestle you for the giant fork, but that really seems bad form with a pregnant woman. Well it any recipe was going to make you eat pasta, this would be the one. YES for creamy!
I need to face plant into a big bowl of this pappardelle! Love the creamy goodness!
OMG! Made this for dinner tonight and it was everything you promised AND MORE! Definitely on my fall rotation…yummmm!
This was so delicious and even more the second time when I crumbled some goat cheese on top!! Dying!
Hi! I’m making this for dinner tonight and I have these 4 huge leeks (about 12 inches long and 1.5 inches wide) that I’m thinking are too much! Do you happen to know about how many cups of leeks you used?
so sorry i’m late on this – i hope it worked out for you! i probably used about 1 1/2 cups of leeks – they can be tricky because by the time they are cleaned and trimmed, they can be whittled down to nothing! def go with your judgement and use less if it appears to be too much.
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was incredibly good! Best part–leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely amazing! I subbed pancetta for bacon and red onions + brussel spouts for the leeks and it worked perfectly. A delicious autumnal meal…and super quick and easy.
This was last nights dinner. So, so yummy! It was a big hit. I’m not a fan of chopping squash but, for this it was worth it!
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Ah, this looks delicious, Jessica! Do you drain some of bacon fat before adding the other ingredients?
i do not – i find you don’t need to since you’re cooking so many other things in it!
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I added some reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce a little. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
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I made this last week and it was amazing! I substituted a 100g of blue cheese for the parmesan, because I had a blue cheese craving :) Lovely, thanks!
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looks great! Do you think I could substitute buttermilk for some or all of the cream for some added tang?
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I just made this today and it was SO delicious! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
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This pasta is delicious!
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This was really an enjoyable meal we will both have again.
I tweked this one and used Greek yogurt rather than cream. The yogurt had condensed chicken stock whisked in. We roasted the pumpkin prior to stirring in.
A tip is your sauce thickens too much: save some of the pasta water aside and pour it into the sauce to thin it down. The pasta water helps to bring the sauce and thin it at the same time.
OMG this was a major hit in my house! So ridiculously delicious! My husband loved it and the flavored were absolutely restaurant quality amazing. I ended up using more bacon and twice the amount of pasta but kept the rest the same. I also roasted my squash in the oven at 400/25 min coated with olive oil and salt and pepper then added it in at the end. The entire dish was completely devoured by my family who game it 5 stars all around. Thank you for an amazing addition to my easy dinner fall favorites!
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I made this last night with pancetta instead of bacon and added roasted brussel sprouts. So good!!