Autumnal Penne with Pumpkin, Sage and Walnuts

A autumnal plate of pasta with fried Hokkaido pumpkin, crispy sage and toasted walnuts. Refined with Parmesan, it becomes an inexpensive, filling meal for cold days.

By yumbelo · 4 servings · 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 400 g Durum wheat penne
• 600 g Hokkaido pumpkin (peeled, seeded)
• 1 pc Onion
• 2 pc Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 30 g Butter
• 1 bunch Sage
• 500 ml Vegetable stock
• 40 g Walnut kernels
• 60 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 pinch Chili flakes
• Salt
• Black pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. Wash the pumpkin, cut it into roughly 2 cm cubes and finely dice the onion. Finely chop the garlic.
2. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant, then remove and roughly chop.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry the pumpkin over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges and almost soft. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pumpkin and fry for 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the pumpkin is completely soft. Blend part of it with an immersion blender until you have a creamy sauce.
6. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil in a large pot and cook the penne according to the package instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve some of the cooking water.
7. Let the butter foam in a second pan, pick the sage leaves and fry them in the butter for 1 to 2 minutes until crispy.
8. Add the drained pasta to the pumpkin sauce, toss with a little cooking water and fold in the Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.
9. Drizzle the pasta with the sage butter, sprinkle with the toasted walnuts and serve immediately.