Name: Creamy pumpkin pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves crushed; 500g pumpkin or squash, peeled and cut into roughly 3cm cubes; 50-100ml whole milk; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 2 tbsp mascarpone; 350g short pasta (rigatoni or penne work well); 40g grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve

Ingredients

4 serv.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
500g pumpkin or squash, peeled and cut into roughly 3cm cubes
50-100ml whole milk
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp mascarpone
350g short pasta (rigatoni or penne work well)
40g grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra to serve

Instructions

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1 Heat the oil in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole or frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min more. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
2 Meanwhile, cook the pumpkin in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 mins until tender when pierced with a cutlery knife. Drain and tip into a blender (or use a hand blender). Blitz with 50ml milk and the onions until completely smooth, gradually adding more milk until the mixture is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon (you may not need all the milk). Tip into a large frying pan with the tomato purée and mascarpone, and bring to a simmer over a low heat.
3 Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan and 50-100ml of the reserved water to loosen. Season and scatter with extra parmesan.