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Spicy Pumpkin Pasta
This slightly spicy pasta dish puts pumpkin to use as something other than pie.
Pumpkin gets a shot at savory with this easy to make dish. This autumn dinner recipe pairs loads of freshness from the garden with pasta and cheese to create a surprisingly satisfying meal. The pumpkin adds body to the sauce and permeates the entire dish with fall flavor. Fresh mint and hazelnuts round out the dish with flavor and texture.
The ingredients:
- 1 medium pie pumpkin
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- 12 ounces shell pasta or other small dried pasta
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint, cut or torn into small pieces
- Coarse salt and pepper to taste
The method:
Preheat oven to 425˚ degrees.
Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Remove the peel from the pumpkin and cut pumpkin flesh into small pieces about ½” thick. Place pumpkin on low rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add a sprinkling of coarse salt and toss. Spread pumpkin out evenly in single layer and roast for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly tender.
While pumpkin is roasting, toast hazelnuts in a non-stick skillet until lightly toasted. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Roughly chop hazelnuts.
Prepare pasta according to directions to an al dente state. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2 cups of roasted pumpkin. Saute for about 2 minutes or until pieces are browned. Add garlic and half of the pepper flakes. Continue cooking until garlic is lightly browned. Immediately add about ½ cup of the pasta water to prevent garlic from browning any further.
Reduce heat to low and begin adding butter gradually, swirl pan or stir gently to create a sauce. Add more pasta water as necessary. Add pasta to pumpkin mixture and toss gently to coat. Add lemon juice, remaining pepper flakes, half of the mint and Parmesan cheese. Stir gently to incorporate all of the ingredients. Add coarse salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the pasta hot topped with hazelnuts, remaining mint and more grated Parmesan (if desired).
Follow along with these step-by-step directions for making spicy pumpkin pasta:
