Butternut & bacon fusilli

1 of 5-a-day bacon pasta budget budget recipes easy pasta midweek meals pancetta bacon vitamin c

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Source

Ingredients

½ x 160g pack pancetta di cubetti

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

750g butternut squash , deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes

2 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped

¼ tsp chilli flakes

3 garlic cloves , finely chopped

350g fusilli bucati (or fusilli)

100g young leaf spinach , roughly chopped

grated parmesan , to serve

Method

Tip the pancetta into a large frying pan set over a medium heat and cook for 5-8 mins until really crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the oil to the pan, along with the squash, rosemary, chilli and garlic. Cover and cook for 25 mins, stirring now and then, until the squash is tender. Season well, and gently crush some of the butternut squash with the back of a spoon.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil 15 mins before the squash is ready, and cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving the cooking water. Add 1-2 ladles of pasta water to the squash and let it bubble for a few mins. Tip in the drained pasta and toss together. Stir through the spinach, then divide between plates. Sprinkle over the pancetta, some grated Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.