Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Stupid me went nuts and bought one too many bags of butternut squash when it was on sale. I only had one recipe in my arsenal and so I needed to find something else that uses butternut squash quick!  I didn't want to make soup since that's not a dish The Husband and I can bring to work for lunch.  This recipe is great, it's "like" mac and cheese, except the cheese sauce is a lot lighter and the combination of sweet butternut and salty pancetta goes great together.  Only thing is, I would not recommend making this dish in the summer since you need to roast the butternut at 425F and let me tell you, it gets REALLY HOT in the kitchen!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
(adapted from cookinglight.com)

ingredients

• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
• Cooking spray
• 6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slice -- i actually sub this out with pancetta
• 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 8 oz uncooked mini penne 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp provolone cheese
• 1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Combine 1/4 tsp salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425F for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450F.
3. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the pancetta from pan, reserving 1 1/2 tsp drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
4. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
5. Combine flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.
6. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.