This pasta dish is festive, healthy, seasonal, and delicious. The pumpkin sauce is so good that I gave my bowl a little lick. I can’t wait to make this pasta again… likely on Halloween! You’ve got to give it a try. Pumpkin lovers will be obsessed and non-pumpkin lovers will like it anyway.
To make this tasty meal, cook some pasta until it is al dente. I made 8 ounces. Also prepare whatever add-ons you want to include in the pasta. I cooked a chicken breast and steamed some broccoli and eggplant.
Prepare the pumpkin sauce while the other components of the pasta are cooking. In a pot, soften 1/2 of a chopped onion and 1 minced garlic clove in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Then, add in 1 can of pumpkin purée and an equal amount of chicken stock. Whisk them together. Season the sauce with 1 teaspoon of minced sage, plenty of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Don’t worry about reducing the sauce because it will thicken up from the pasta starch later.
After draining your noodles, add the pasta-add ons into the pot. Toss the pasta back in too. Then, pour over the pumpkin sauce. Over low heat, stir everything together and let the pasta sit for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Sprinkle over some toasted, candied walnuts and some parmesan cheese. I shaved my parmesan so it would blend in with the shape of the pasta. The sauce becomes so creamy that you might not believe it’s dairy free. I really enjoyed eating this great meal, and I hope you do too!
This recipe was inspired by “The I <3 Trader Joe’s Cookbook” by Cherie Mercer Twoky.
To cook your squash, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish. Put a little bit of water in the dish so the squash can steam, and cover it with plastic wrap. Microwave the squash for 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce the skin. Then, scoop out the flesh into a bowl. At this point, the flesh will naturally turn into spaghetti-like strands. Season your squash with olive oil, salt, lots of pepper, grated parmesan cheese, and plenty of lemon juice. There are no specific amounts you need, just enough so that it tastes amazing to you. Mix everything together well, and enjoy this surprisingly delicious side dish!
To make this dish, season some chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and then cook them for about 6 minutes per side in a pan with olive oil. I cut two breasts in half crosswise so they would cook faster. They were done after about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place the breasts on a side plate so you can make the glaze in the same pan.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan if it looks dry. Then, cook 1/4 of a chopped onion (or 1 shallot), 1 minced garlic clove, and 1.5 teaspoons of dried rosemary (or 3 fresh sprigs) for about 3 minutes so they soften. Then, add 1/4 cup of honey to the pan. Drop in 1 heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard, squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon, and stir everything together. 