Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Make the most of pumpkins this autumn. When pureed and combined with mascarpone and parmesan, their flesh transforms into a silky, delicious pasta sauce. A vegetarian and nut-free recipe from BBC Good Food. Tip: Need to add more variety, like some nuts and arugula.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 500 g pumpkin (or squash; peeled and cut into roughly 3cm cubes)
- 50-100ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp mascarpone
- 350 g short pasta (rigatoni or penne work well)
- 40 g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve (grated)
Instructions
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.
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 puree and mascarpone, and bring to a simmer over a low heat.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving about 240ml 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.