Creamy pumpkin pasta
Prep
15 mins
Cook
35 mins
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
This creamy pumpkin pasta is one of my favorite go to dinners when I want something comforting but not too heavy. The beauty of this dish is how quickly it comes together in just 50 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal without any fuss. Pumpkin is packed with vitamin A, which is fantastic for your eyes and immune system, and it creates the most silky, naturally sweet sauce when blended with mascarpone and milk. Best of all, it's made from pantry staples and budget friendly ingredients you probably already have at home. Trust me, once you try this, you'll be making it on repeat.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 11 onion finely chopped
- 12 garlic cloves crushed
- 500 gpumpkin or squash(peeled and cut into roughly 3cm cubes)
- 150-100ml whole milk
- 2 tbsptomato purée
- 2 tbspmascarpone
- 350 gshort pasta(rigatoni or penne work well)
- 40 ggrated parmesan or vegetarian alternative(plus extra to serve)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole or frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min more. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- 2
Meanwhile, cook the pumpkin in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 mins until tender when pierced with a cutlery knife. Drain and tip into a blender (or use a hand blender). Blitz with 50ml milk and the onions until completely smooth, gradually adding more milk until the mixture is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon (you may not need all the milk). Tip into a large frying pan with the tomato purée and mascarpone, and bring to a simmer over a low heat.
- 3
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan and 50-100ml of the reserved water to loosen. Season and scatter with extra parmesan.
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