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Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta November 25, 2013Mains0 Comments

I love Thanksgiving and though I’m not what one might call a carnivore, I do enjoy a delicious turkey dinner, but have yet to be ambitious enough to take on cooking one myself. In honour of American Thanksgiving I thought I’d share what my Canadian Thanksgiving feast looked like this year. Since a turkey wasn’t on the menu I wanted to choose something that was equally hearty and satisfying, in keeping with the festive theme. After much debate, a pumpkin pasta dish was unanimous.

What I love about this recipe is it consists of very few (but incredibly fresh) ingredients, packs a flavourful punch and is vegetarian friendly or vegan if you omit the parmesan cheese. Plus, it’s simple, healthy and need not only be enjoyed during the Thanksgiving holiday. Yay!

See below for the recipe and photo gallery demonstrating the easy steps to enjoying this meal.

What You’ll Need

Pasta of your choosing
2 tsp. olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh sage + more for garnish
1 small pumpkin (or a 15 oz. can of pumpkin purée)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese + more for garnish
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup pasta cooking water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° C.
Wash the outside of the pumpkin. Cut top off pumpkin and remove seeds and fibrous filling. Cut into slices, removing any remaining fibrous strands. Line on a baking sheet coated in cooking spray. Drizzle pumpkin slices with olive oil and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.
Discard the skin and purée pumpkin in food processor. Set aside.
Cook pasta according to directions. When ready reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, adding shallots, garlic, sage and a pinch of salt. When the shallots are tender and fragrant (roughly 10 minutes), add the pumpkin purée, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
Add reserved pasta water and mix thoroughly. Add pasta and combine.
Serve garnished with sage and parmesan cheese. You may also wish to season with salt & pepper to taste.

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