This dish is not traditionally Italian, but the first time I made this was in Italy when I needed a dinner that was vegetarian-friendly.
This dinner comes together really quickly and the sauce can be prepped while the pasta cooks. The sauce itself takes less than 10 minutes to make from start to finish.
If you want to add some meat to the recipe, frying some diced pancetta with the onions and garlic would be a great addition.
Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes, Serves: 6-8
What you need :
- 1 796 ml can pumpkin puree
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper (you can also use paprika if you like less spice)
- 400 ml heavy cream (I use 2 x 200 ml cartons of cooking cream)
- 1 kg penne, cooked (reserve 2 cups of the pasta water) – for a gluten-free/celiac option, use Gluten-Free Penne
- Salt, pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
What you do :
- Sautée the onions and garlic on medium heat until soft
- Add cayenne pepper, stir to coat
- Add pumpkin puree, stir
- Add cooking cream, stir to incorporate
- Add cooked penne, stir to coat
- If sauce is too thick, add pasta water to thin as needed
- Cook, stirring often until heated through, about 2 minutes
- Stir, garnish with chopped parsley and grated cheese, as desired
