Name: Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 4 slices bacon, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces; 8 large fresh sage leaves; 1 tbsp minced fresh sage; 1 medium butternut squash (about 900 g), peeled, seeded and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) dice; 15 g unsalted butter; 6 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup); ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 4 g sugar; table salt and ground black pepper; 475 ml low-sodium chicken broth; 450 g penne or other short tubular pasta; 13 g grated Parmesan, plus more for serving; 20 g lemon juice; 30 g sliced almonds, toasted

Method

Bacon and sage. Cook the bacon (4 slices) in a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the large fresh sage leaves (8) and cook 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, keeping the fat and the bacon-sage mixture separately.
Squash. Return the skillet to high heat with 2 tbsp of the bacon fat (add olive oil if short) and heat until shimmering. Spread the butternut squash (1) in an even layer and cook without stirring until it starts to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes more.
Add the unsalted butter (15 g1 tbsp), then the scallions (6), freshly grated nutmeg (¼ tsp), sugar (4 g1 tsp), ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp pepper and minced fresh sage (1 tbsp), and cook until the scallions soften, about 3 minutes. Add the low-sodium chicken broth (475 ml2 cups), bring to a simmer, and cook until the squash is tender, 1 to 3 minutes.
Pasta. Meanwhile, boil the penne (450 g1 lb) in 4 quarts (4 l) water with 1 tbsp salt until just al dente. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) cooking water, drain, and return the pasta to the pot.
Finish. Add the squash mixture, the grated Parmesan (13 g2 tbsp), the lemon juice (20 g4 tsp) and the bacon-sage mixture, loosening with the reserved pasta water as needed. Serve with the sliced almonds (30 g⅓ cup) and more Parmesan on the side.