Pumpkin pasta; perfect for Autumn evening dinners or spooky Halloween suppers. This easy pasta dish is made with a deliciously creamy pasta sauce containing only pureed pumpkin, butterbeans, and onions (and no cream!!)
Grated cheeseor veggie cheese to melt into the sauce for extra flavour and creaminess
Equipment:
Large pan
Large wok or frying pan
Blender or hand blander
Instructions
To make the squash and pasta:
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C Fan.
Place the cubed squash on a baking tray, drizzle over the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and set to one side.
Whilst the squash is in the oven cook the pasta in the salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked save 200ml of the pasta water to go into the sauce. Drain off the rest of the water and run the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process. - set to one side.
In a large wok or frying pan heat the oil and gently fry the chopped onion until soft. Keep the pan on a medium heat and add in the drained butter beans, pumpkin puree, thyme leaves and pasta water. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes. Season.
Next remove from the heat and blitz into a smooth sauce with a hand blender or by transferring into a stand blender. Return the sauce to the pan and reheat. Add the cooked pasta and roasted squash. Mix well and cook for a further minute. Taste and season. If desired melt grated cheese (or vegetarian cheese) into the sauce for extra flavour and creaminess.
Serve with extra thyme leaves and freshly grated parmesan/veggie cheese.
Once the pasta and squash has been mixed into the sauce the whole dish can be transferred into a container, cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively turn into a pasta bake by transferring to an ovenproof dish and baking in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes.