It’s pumpkin time! And here’s a great way to use all those weird looking ones that make you sort of go, huh? Any fall squash will work in this recipe, so get the craziest looking ones! They’re fun to have out on your counter, and are so affordable and nutritious. Paired with pasta, they make a really filling vegan dish. Here’s a recipe for you from a pasta dish we did for 300 over here.
INGREDIENTS:
2 pumpkins or large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-2” cubes
2 onions, peeled and diced
6 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced
1/2 gallon vegetable stock or water
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup white wine
1 head of green kale, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted lightly on olive oil and salt
3 cups dry pasta, preferably whole wheat, rigatoni, penne, fusilli or elbows
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
PROCEDURE:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, onions, and garlic with 1/2 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix and transfer to baking sheet. bake for 25-30 minutes or until toasted on the tips and the pumpkin is tender. Check by tasting or sticking a toothpick/knife into the pumpkin to see if it goes in and out easy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
I a soup pot, combine the vegetable stock/water, maple syrup, 1/2 cup olive oil and white wine. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add dry pasta and boil until “al dente” or desired tenderness. With a slotted spoon, remove the pasta and transfer to mixing bowl.
Add half of the roasted pumpkin, onion and garlic to the boiling vegetable stock. Mix and boil for an additional 2 minutes. Blend until smooth.
Combine kale and remaining roasted pumpkin with the cooked pasta in the mixing bowl. Pour the pumpkin mix over the pasta and transfer to the casserole dish. Bake in the oven until toasty on the top. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of good olive oil to serve.
