Baked Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin and Sage

, from Issue #25. September, 2015
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Baked Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin and Sage

Pasta bakes and roasted pumpkin were both made for winter. We've created the ultimate comfort food recipe by combining these two elements with the addition of sage. Perfection.

 

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

300 grams tubular pasta such as rigatoni
1 x 400 gram tin crushed Italian tomatoes

Pumpkin
750 grams pumpkin, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried sage
1⁄4 teaspoon chilli flakes

Topping
1 bag spinach, well washed and drained
400 grams sour cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a good grating of fresh nutmeg

To finish
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄2 cup panko crumbs

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Lightly grease an 8 cup capacity baking dish.

Pasta: Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, well salted water until al dente. Drain well.

Put the tomatoes in a large bowl, add the pasta and toss to combine. Set aside.

Pumpkin: Cut the pumpkin into small pieces, combine with the remaining ingredients and tip onto a lined baking tray. Season and roast until tender, turning occasionally. Add to the pasta, scraping in all the sticky bits on the tray.

Topping: Put the spinach in a heat-proof bowl and pour over boiling water to wilt. Drain well. Place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess water. Chop finely.

Whisk the sour cream, eggs, Parmesan and nutmeg in a bowl. Season well and stir in the spinach.

To cook: Tip the pasta into the baking dish. Spoon over the topping and scatter with the combined Parmesan and panko crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. 

Serve with Crisp Lettuce, Orange and Feta Salad and garlic pizza bread.

Panko crumbs: these flaky Japanese dried bread crumbs create a deliciously crunchy crust. They are readily available from Asian supermarkets. Regular bread crumbs could also be used instead.