Best Butternut Bacon Fusilli Recipes

BUTTERNUT, BACON AND APPLE HOTDISH

Steps:

• For the filling: Lay the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet (I like to use a cast-iron pan or braiser) and turn the heat to medium. Cook, flipping once, until crisp on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove from the heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly.
• Drain half the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving just enough to coat the skillet. Add the onions and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, thyme, some salt, a few turns of pepper and a few pinches of crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 more minutes. Add the wine and broth. Roughly chop the bacon and add it to the skillet along with the apples. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, while you make the biscuits.
• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and, using a food processor, pastry cutter or your hands, incorporate the butter until the mixture is the consistency of raw oatmeal. Mix in the cream until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, pat it out to 3/4-inch thick and then cut out round biscuits, re-rolling scraps as needed.
• Turn off the heat before dotting the top of the skillet with the biscuits. Brush the biscuits with the beaten egg and top with black pepper. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, cooked through and flaky, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve right from the skillet!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BACON ONE-POT PASTA

Steps:

• Using a fork, poke a few holes in skin of squash. Place the entire squash in the microwave and cook on high power for 5 minutes. Remove squash using a towel or oven mitts and allow to cool for a few minutes. Place squash on cutting board and hold warm squash with an oven mitt (or latex dishwashing glove) and slice squash in half; scoop out seeds.
• Place one squash half face down on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high-power, 3 to 5 minutes. Reserve second squash half for another use.
• Scoop cooked squash flesh out of shell and place in a blender or food processor and blend with about 3 tablespoons water until smooth; set aside. Makes about 11/2 cups puree.
• In a large pot, cook penne according to directions on the regular pasta box (as it takes a little longer to cook than whole grain pasta). Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water.
• In the same large pot, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until browned. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving bacon fat (about 1 tablespoon) in the pot.
• Over medium heat, whisk the flour into the bacon fat. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to bubble. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in reserved squash puree; cook until warm, about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese, thyme, salt, pepper and 1 to 2 tablespoons pasta water if sauce seems too thick. Add pasta and reserved bacon and toss gently. Serve with additional shredded cheese if desired.