Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce

Matthew is pretty much obsessed with anything pumpkin.  He makes his mother proud.

I had to share this recipe quickly before I forgot what I did to throw it together.  It was absolutely divine. Paul rated the dish in its entirety one of his "favorite dishes ever."  As I have mentioned earlier, he is a huge fan of Spaghetti Squash.  And who doesn't love it?  The stringy, fibrous innards make a wonderful, low-carb replacement for pasta!

In addition to my plethora of butternut squash, I had recently purchased a fair amount of spaghetti squash to use for our weeknight meals.  I then had the brilliant idea of using both types of squash to make a dish - namely, a Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce to be served over roasted spaghetti squash.  And then sprinkled with bacon (because bacon and squash is a match made in heaven!).

When I mentioned the idea to Paul while at the grocery store earlier in the week, his skeptical reply was: "Sounds like a lot of squash."

Oh ye of little faith.

Two days later, he was ravenously gobbling down his third serving of this delicious dish and singing my praises.  What an easy way to get the vegetable-hating husband to eat about five healthy servings in one sitting!

If you decide to give this a whirl, and I do hope that you will, try to use a combination of Cooper cheese and mild cheddar for the sauce.  I'm sure whatever cheese you use will be delicious, but that was the combination we threw in and it was absolutely killer.  You could also toss the sauce with regular pasta and it will be similar to a Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese.  This is good stuff.

And the bacon is purely optional...but it is a really awesome garnish! (Note: I garnished mine with some chopped almonds as well as seen pictured above).

The pictures are absolutely horrible because it has been getting dark at 6:00 pm, making it really difficult to get any decent lighting.  So if you think the dish looks gross in the picture, it is probably just the lighting.

Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce

3 strips of bacon (or more if you are a true carnivore!)
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 cup roasted butternut squash puree (not store bought!)
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon fresh sage (do not use dry!)
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and Pepper

Cook the bacon in a skillet set over medium heat until crispy.  Set aside to drain on paper towels and reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.  When the bacon is cool, crumble into coarse pieces.

In a small stockpot, heat the grease (if you omit the bacon, use a tablespoon of butter or olive oil) and the minced garlic over medium heat until fragrant and bubbly.  Add the butternut squash puree and until it is heated and has absorbed the garlic, about 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the half-and-half until the squash is completely absorbed.  Stir in the fresh sage.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble.  Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until completely melted.  Ladle sauce over individual servings of spaghetti squash and garnish with bacon pieces and shredded Parmesan.  Enjoy!