This creamy pumpkin pasta dish is a Winter staple in my household. Packed with seasonal goodness, this hearty warm pasta meal is perfect for lunch or dinner.
You will need:
400g pumpkin (peeled weight) - any kind of pumpkin
250g dried pasta - any kind of pasta (or substitute 300g fresh pasta)
1 medium sized onion (or substitute leek or fennel)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or substitute sage or thyme)
200ml organic coconut cream (or substitute dairy cream)
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or substitute another cheese, or nutritional yeast)
3-4 cloves of garlic (add more if you love garlic)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
Freshly ground sea salt & pepper
Olive oil
What to do:
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Peel the pumpkin and cut it into small cubes, peel the garlic cloves and strip the rosemary leaves from the stalk. Combine these ingredients in a baking dish and toss with olive oil, then bake for approx. 40-45 mins, or until the pumpkin is soft (slightly charred is fine). You can also do this step in advance, to save time.
Pop the cooked pumpkin, garlic and rosemary into a blender or food processor along with 1 cup of filtered cold water, and process this all into a smooth purée.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, and add your pasta, cook according to the packet directions.
While the pasta is cooking, add a splash of olive oil to a large, high sided pan and bring this to medium - high heat over the element. Dice the onion, and add this to the pan. Once golden and translucent, add the tomato paste and stir well, then reduce the heat to medium and add the coconut cream and stir together.
Add the pumpkin purée mix to the pan along with 1/2 cup of the water from the pasta pot and combine well (use a whisk to get it ultra smooth), then add the grated parmesan cheese (reserve a little for garnish if desired), lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste, stir through until the cheese has melted.
At this point you can add a little more of the pasta water if needed, to thin out the sauce more. Finally, drain the cooked pasta and stir the sauce through the pasta until well coated. Plate up, garnish with grated cheese if you wish, and serve immediately - enjoy!