You may notice something different – instead of naming the recipe “noodles” or “pasta,” I’m specifying – fettucine.
If you use Blade B, you’ll notice that the noodles come out a bit flatter than if you use the spaghetti blade (C). Flatter and a bit wider. Like fettucine!
So, today, I’m making butternut squash fettucine. With goat cheese and thick-cut bacon. And kale, cooked in said bacon fat.
🙂
I don’t use Blade B nearly enough. It’s ideal for making half-shaped macaroni-type noodles and for use on apples. Sometimes, I use it on sweet potatoes if I have trouble spiralizing them, it’s a quick fix.
Sometimes, that darn sweet potato doesn’t want to shove itself through those little triangular blades. I get it. Sometimes, I, like the sweet potato, don’t want to do what I’m told.
Fettucine noodles are also fun, because you get more flavor in each bite, simply because there’s more noodle! Vegetables noodles are unique because they each have their own distinct flavor. When you eat them as thin spaghetti, you don’t get as much flavor as you would with the fettucine blade (B.)
The key to this dish is truly the thick-but bacon. When you cook it in the skillet, it curls up wonderfully in its thick glory and is perfectly salty and crunchy. Once you start see it browning, it’s pretty much done – about 5-7 minutes.
Cooking the kale and garlic in the bacon grease is a trick to avoid using extra added oil but also, it infuses the kale with bacon flavor. You can swap in pancetta here for a sweeter twist.
The goat cheese pulls everything together in its creamy smoothness, ensuring every bite has textures and flavors that marry well together. If you’re Paleo or just dairy-free, skip the goat cheese and add in small cubes of warmed avocado for that same velvety-ness.
While this pasta doesn’t have a specific sauce, the oils in the bacon, the olive oil from roasting the squash and the creaminess of the goat cheese create their own unbelievable combination, taking the place of a sauce.
Okay, now I’m hungry again.
What’s your favorite noodle shape for butternut squash?
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Thick Bacon, Kale and Goat Cheese Butternut Squash “Fettucine”
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- pepper to taste
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon cubed
- 2 cups finely chopped curly kale
- salt to taste
- 1 large garlic clove sliced thinly
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the squash noodles. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and once heated, add in bacon. Let bacon cook until crispy about 5-7 minutes per side. Once cooked, transfer to a plate with slotted spoon and leave a little more than half of the bacon grease in the pan. Immediately add in the garlic and kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 5 minutes or until wilted and cooked.
- Divide butternut squash noodles into bowls and top with equal amounts of kale, bacon and goat cheese.
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