Beautiful Life Magazine

I have good news about the winter thing: pumpkin still tastes good even in November, and it might even taste BETTER in the winter because it warms you to the toes. And it’s especially delicious when used in non-traditional ways like as a sauce for a chicken bacon pumpkin pasta bake. Life is good when this baby is in your oven.

If you have a kitchen, and if you have a functional stove and oven combo, be blessed by melted cheese and pasta tonight with a fallish pumpkin and caramelized onion sauce and chicken for filling and bacon for delicious. You deserve all the homemade goodness that is packed into that pan.

• prep time: 10 mins
• cook time: 1 hour
• total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Makes 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PUMPKIN SAUCE:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 yellow onion
• a splash of white wine (optional)
• 1 clove garlic
• 18 ounces pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (or just ground)
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste

FOR THE PASTA:

• 1 lb. uncooked pasta
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Mozzarella or other white melty cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• crumbled, cooked bacon (as much or little as you want)
• parsley for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Caramelize the onions: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cut the onion into thin slices and add to the melted butter in the pan. Keeping the heat on medium-low, cook the onions until they are caramelized and deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. You can add a splash of white wine as they’re cooking to get a little extra sweetness.
2. Make the sauce: Puree the garlic, pumpkin, chicken broth, milk, olive oil, salt, sage, nutmeg, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Add to the caramelized onions in the pan and cook until heated through.
3. Prep pasta and chicken:Cook the pasta according to package directions, stopping a little early so they are still firm enough to hold their shape in the oven. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add the chicken, cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from the water; when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.
4. Assemble and bake:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the cooked pasta, chicken, and bacon with the pumpkin sauce and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese. Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish, top with remaining cheese and cover with greased foil to prevent sticking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and let stand a few minutes before serving.

Print Recipe

Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Pasta Bake

Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Pasta Bake! Caramelized onions make for a rich and velvety pumpkin sauce to blanket that shredded chicken with love.

Course

Dinner

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings

servings

Ingredients

PUMPKIN SAUCE

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 medium yellow onion
• a splash of white wine (optional)
• 1 clove garlic
• 18 ounces pumpkin puree about 2 cups
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg or just ground
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Pasta

• 1 pound uncooked pasta
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Mozzarella or other white melty cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• crumbled, cooked bacon as much or little as you want
• parsley for topping

Course Dinner Cuisine Italian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Servings servings Ingredients PUMPKIN SAUCE 1 tbs butter 1 medium yellow onion a splash of white wine (optional) 1 clove garlic 18 ounces pumpkin puree about 2 cups 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup milk 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg or just ground freshly cracked black pepper to taste Pasta 1 pound uncooked pasta 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 cup Mozzarella or other white melty cheese 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese crumbled, cooked bacon as much or little as you want parsley for topping

Instructions

1. Caramelize the onions: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cut the onion into thin slices and add to the melted butter in the pan. Keeping the heat on medium-low, cook the onions until they are caramelized and deep golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. You can add a splash of white wine as they’re cooking to get a little extra sweetness.
2. Make the sauce: Puree the garlic, pumpkin, chicken broth, milk, olive oil, salt, sage, nutmeg, and pepper in a blender until smooth. Add to the caramelized onions in the pan and cook until heated through.
3. Prep pasta and chicken: Cook the pasta according to package directions, stopping a little early so they are still firm enough to hold their shape in the oven. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and add the chicken, cooking for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from the water; when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.
4. Assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the cooked pasta, chicken, and bacon with the pumpkin sauce and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese. Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish, top with remaining cheese and cover with greased foil to prevent sticking. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and let stand a few minutes before serving.

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