When photographing this dish, I stood for a couple minutes twirling the fork through these creamy noodles. The sound of squidgy sauce-coated pasta swirling around was pretty mesmerising – ASMR material.
If that’s not inviting enough (let alone its beautiful bright orange colour), this pasta is so quick and simple to make. It’s a matter of cooking the sauce ingredients together and blending, then tossing through cooked pasta and sprinkling with bacon. So easy.
The sauce features miso, which gives it a beautiful salty umami flavour.
To make this vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead of beef, and use chopped roasted almonds instead of bacon.
This recipe was first published in the Taupo Herald. I contribute recipes on a weekly basis to this local publication, which will also be shared here on my website. Keep an eye out on each week’s publication for my newest recipes!
Butternut & Miso Pasta with Bacon
Course: Mains, Recipes3-4
servings45
minutesIngredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 butternut squash (400g), peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tbsp miso paste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
200g linguine
100g diced bacon
Handful finely grated parmesan, to serve
Handful fresh rocket, torn, to serve
Directions
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown.
- Add squash and coriander seeds, and stir to combine. Cook for 7-10 minutes until squash is beginning to brown.
- Add beef stock and miso, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, until squash is tender. Blend until smooth, and allow to simmer for a few more minutes until your desired thickness is reached.
- Meanwhile, cook linguine according to packet directions. Drain.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes until nicely browned. Remove from heat.
- Add linguine to the squash sauce and toss to fully coat. Divide among bowls and top with the bacon, followed by a sprinkle of parmesan and rocket. Serve immediately.
