The whole family loves this creamy goat cheese pasta with roasted butternut squash, crispy bacon, and nutty pecans. It’s a comforting dinner packed with cozy and satisfying fall flavors, and it’s ready in under an hour. Perfect for chilly autumn weeknights!
If you love your weeknight pastas, this creamy goat cheese pasta with fall veggies and sage will be your new go-to dinner. I made it the other night to have with an arugula salad on the side. It’s so easy to put together, and it quickly became a new family favorite! The sauce is rich and velvety, and the flavors are perfect for fall dinners.
Why This Goat Cheese Pasta Is a Winning Dinner
- Fancy-but-easy. Tangy goat cheese and woodsy sage elevate the flavors, but you just need to roast everything and toss it together.
- Great for fall. This goat cheese pasta recipe is a great way to pack your dinner with fall ingredients like tender butternut squash, pecans, and spices. It’s cozy and comforting, like cold-weather cooking should be!
- Versatile. Use different types of pasta, add leftover veggies, or make it spicy if you want.
- Perfect for meal prep. Roast the veggies and cook the bacon in advance for an even quicker dinner throughout the week.
What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
Sweet butternut squash, crunchy pecans, and smoky bacon are a heavenly fall-flavored ingredient combination. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Butternut squash – Carefully peel and chop the squash into cubes, and make sure you remove the seeds before roasting. See my roasted butternut squash with Brussels sprouts for step-by-step instructions on how to safely cut squash.
- Red onion – Feel free to use white or yellow onions.
- Olive oil – Avocado and coconut oil are great swaps.
- Salt and pepper – I prefer kosher salt and freshly-cracked pepper.
- Pecans – You can also use unsalted, chopped walnuts or almonds.
- Rigatoni – Go for penne, fusilli, or another short pasta if that’s what you have on hand.
- Goat cheese – Plain or herbed cheese is best because it won’t overpower the rest of the flavors. If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, feta works nicely as a substitute in this pasta.
- Dried sage – Fresh works too.
- Bacon – You can use regular or thick-cut bacon or pancetta for this. Another option is to dice up leftover cooked ham (pasta recipes are some of my favorite ways to use up leftovers!).
- Pasta water – Scoop out a cupful after cooking the pasta, and set it aside before you drain the rest. The starch in pasta water helps emulsify the sauce so it sticks to the pasta better.
Use High-Moisture Goat Cheese
High-moisture, plain goat cheese is best for making this pasta because it melts much more smoothly and easily. It’s particularly creamy and soft (it seems more like a thick paste), unlike low-moisture varieties, which are very dry. Compound (or “flavored”) goat cheese works too, as long as it’s high in moisture.
How To Make Goat Cheese Pasta
This goat cheese and butternut squash pasta couldn’t be simpler to make. Tangy goat cheese melts as it’s tossed with the warm pasta, so you don’t have to worry about making a sauce! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Roast the veggies. First, toss butternut squash and red onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the veggies in a single layer at 425ºF for 40-45 minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Cook the bacon. Next, crisp the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook it for 4-5 minutes, until it’s to your liking. Move the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate afterward to soak up any excess grease.
- Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, you’ll boil your pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Before you drain the pasta, reserve about ¾-1 cup of the cooking water. Set this aside with the pasta after you drain the rest. I like to drizzle and toss the cooked pasta with a little olive oil to help keep it from sticking.
- Put it all together. To the pot with your pasta, add the roasted squash and onions, pecans, cooked bacon, and goat cheese. Pour in the reserved pasta water, and add the sage to the pot. Toss gently until the ingredients are well-combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy!
Make This Pasta Extra Creamy
For an even richer, creamier goat cheese pasta, I recommend combining the goat cheese with 1-2 cups of heavy cream in a pot over medium-low heat. Simmer and stir for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted. Fold the sauce into the rest of the pasta ingredients until they’re well-coated.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Use leftovers. This recipe is a great way to use up any small leftover amounts of short pasta types I have in the pantry, like penne and fusilli. Cook them according to package instructions and combine them to make this pasta.
- Add protein. Topping the dish with sliced grilled chicken, beef, turkey, or air fryer shrimp is an easy way to make it into a complete meal.
- More cheese. Mix ½ cup shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup crumbled feta with the pasta for an extra cheesy bite.
- Make it spicy. Sprinkle ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper into the pasta right before serving for a kick of heat. Chili oil works too.
- More veggies. Adding 1-2 cups of sautéed mushrooms, spinach, or zucchini can help you sneak more veggies into your weeknight meal and reduce food waste.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy goat cheese pasta is an easy-but-fancy weeknight dinner. I love serving it with my air fryer chicken breast or grilled ribeye steak. If you prefer seafood, try it with my pan-seared Chilean sea bass or garlic butter baked salmon. Side dish ideas include my Mediterranean salad and air fryer asparagus.
Proper Storage
Make sure it’s fully cooled before refrigerating it to prevent spoilage.
- Fridge. Place it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Discard immediately if it tastes sour.
- To reheat it. Sprinkle the pasta with 1/4 teaspoon water and microwave in 20-second increments until warm. You can also use a pot over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring continuously.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove + Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Creamy goat cheese pasta packed with sweet roasted butternut squash, crunchy pecans, and smoky bacon is the perfect weeknight dinner for fall. Cozy, satisfying, and ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4” cubes
- 1 red onion, cut into 1/2” cubes
- 3–4 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 lb mezzi rigatoni
- 10 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 5 bacon strips, diced
- 3/4 cup pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Spread out butternut squash and red onion on a baking sheet. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper. Toss to coat and spread vegetables out in a single layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are tender, tossing halfway through.
- In the meantime, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove bacon from the pan and place it on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up some of the grease.
- Bring a large pot of water to boiling, add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente {follow directions on the back of the box, usually 8-10 minutes}
- Once pasta is done, reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the rest of the water.
- Add butternut squash, onions, pecans, bacon, goat cheese, cooking water, and sage to pasta pot. Toss to coat everything, season with salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 488
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 256 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
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