Pasta and pumpkin is, in my opinion, of infinite goodness! Maybe it’s because the pumpkin is sweet and I’m a foodie, but it’s always been one of my favorite dishes. My mom used to prepare it just for herself, my sister-in-law, and me because the men in the house didn’t like it. And today I’m in the same situation: here at home, only I like it! But I still prepare it for myself as a light first course because it’s too delicious!
My mother also used to prepare pumpkin with rice instead of pasta. The process is the same as you just need to cook the rice exactly as I do with the pasta. Often the term used is to ‘risotto’ the pasta, meaning you cook the pasta directly in the seasoning with the pumpkin. This way, you dirty only one pot!
The result is a colorful dish that brings joy, vegan and light, with few Weight Watchers points, but at the same time very nutritious thanks to all the good properties of pumpkin. It can also easily be made into a single dish, I’ll give you some tips later!
Find more pumpkin recipes here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 1
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz pumpkin (any variety, weight without skin)
- 1 clove garlic
- A few leaves sage
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (1 measuring teaspoon)
- 2.5 oz whole wheat pasta
- to taste chopped parsley
- Points per serving = 8 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
Steps
Wash the pumpkin well, slice it, and remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.
Cut the pumpkin into chunks, clean the garlic, and cut it in half.
Sauté the sliced garlic with sage and rosemary in the teaspoon of oil. If you want, you can remove the garlic after it has browned.
Add the pumpkin and mix well, pour in a finger of water, and add a little salt. Cover the pot and let it boil on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the pumpkin starts to break down.
When the pumpkin is soft and easy to mash, remove the rosemary sprig, add a little more water, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, weigh the pasta and add it to the pumpkin as soon as the water boils.
Stir and continue cooking, adding a little water at a time if the sauce dries out too much. Continue this way until the pasta is cooked, adjusting the salt if necessary.
And here is our pasta and pumpkin ready to be served: a good amount of chopped parsley and off to the table!
I also add a teaspoon of nutritional yeast for extra flavor! And I don’t even count one teaspoon much in terms of WW points.
Here at home, they just didn’t give me satisfaction, the Dutchman really let me down! But I assure you it turns out delicious. Try it yourself and let me know if you liked it, meanwhile:
Bon appétit!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare the base sauce up to the point of adding the pasta and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days or even freeze it for 3 months. Take it out of the fridge, if it was in the freezer let it thaw, reheat, and proceed to add the pasta. You can also store the already prepared pasta and pumpkin in the fridge, but of course, reheating it will make the pasta less al dente: I recommend using the microwave in this case.
FAQ
Which variety of pumpkin should I use?
You can use all kinds, with the Delica pumpkin it will be sweeter, with the Butternut squash less sweet. Here in the picture, I used the Musquee de Provence pumpkin which has yellow flesh and wasn’t even too ripe but still turned out delicious.
What is nutritional yeast?
This recipe also includes nutritional yeast which is a deactivated yeast rich in vitamin B12. It is widely used in vegan cooking as it gives dishes a cheesy flavor. To learn more, read here: Nutritional Yeast: what it is, how to use it and why! You can also add a teaspoon or two of the many vegan parmesan substitutes available now on the market or homemade, or if you’re not vegan, also classic parmesan, but if you make substitutions you will need to consider additional WW points.
What protein can I add for a complete dish?
The answer is simple: cooked chickpeas or red lentils when you start cooking the pumpkin. But I’ve also made rice and pumpkin with smoked tofu and it turned out delicious. This recipe with rice will be coming soon to the blog…
