5-ingredient creamy pumpkin and leek pasta
"I like to think of this quick, satisfying and super-saucy weeknight dish as ‘pumpkin soup pasta’: It’s just as comforting and is a very basic recipe that tastes far richer, and looks far more impressive, than the sum of its simple ingredients (you don’t even need a whole pumpkin, a big chunk will do!). As it is, it’s a great, slurpy dish to entertain with that doesn’t break the bank. Conversely, when you’re feeling like splurging a little more: I’ve served it with chopped toasted hazelnuts and burrata on top, and have snuck in truffle oil, which is heavenly (just, not for you truffle purists out there)."
Difficulty
Easy 👌Ingredients
Utensils
oven, cutting board, knife, parchment paper, baking sheet, 2 large pots, cooking spoon, immersion blender, tongs
How-To Videos
How to prepare garlic
How to grate cheese
How to cook pasta
How to cut Hokkaido pumpkin
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/4
- 300 g Hokkaido pumpkins
- salt
- oven
- cutting board
- knife
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F. Scoop any seeds out of the Hokkaido pumpkin with a spoon and discard (or wash and save for another use). Cut the pumpkin into small cubes, approx. 2 cm. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle them with a little olive oil if desired, and season with salt. Transfer to the oven and let roast for approx. 30 min, or until the pumpkin is just beginning to brown.
Step 2/4
- 2 leeks
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt
- pepper
- large pot
- cooking spoon
In the meantime, slice the white part of the leeks into rings, approx. 1/2 cm wide and mince the garlic. Set a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter in it. Once melted, add the leeks and garlic and sauté until the leeks are soft and beginning to brown at the edges, approx 5 – 7 min. Season with salt and pepper and reserve ¼ of the leeks for garnishing.
Step 3/4
- 400 ml water
- 25 g Parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
- large pot
- immersion blender
For the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, take the roasted pumpkin out of the oven and transfer it to the pot with the leeks. Add water and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth and creamy. Add grated Parmesan, season with salt and pepper and blend again. Leave on low heat while the pasta cooks.
Step 4/4
- 250 g spaghetti
- tongs
Cook pasta, according to packaging instructions. Once it’s very al dente, use tongs to transfer it to the pumpkin sauce, toss well and let simmer in the sauce briefly to finish cooking. Garnish with the reserved leeks and serve with extra grated Parmesan on top. Enjoy!
