A lot of us probably just think of pumpkins around Halloween, sure carving out pumpkins is great fun annually, but it’s now catching on as an all important superfood! One that you definitely want to get your hands on if you’re not a fan already. Pumpkin breads, cakes, soups; sweet or savoury whichever way you prefer, it tastes delicious! One of my favourite ways to cook them is oven roasted with a lovely golden brown char that elevates the sweetness of the vegetable. This pumpkin spaghetti is packed full of flavour and texture in one bowl; A vegan-friendly meal that’s all about making those gorgeous pumpkins the hero of your dish.Wholewheat spaghetti coated in a creamy pumpkin sauce topped with roasted pumpkin cubes and a crunchy garlic-sage crumb. Serve with a side of spicy kale chips and they make a lovely healthy lunch!
PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS (serves 2)
- 250 g whole-wheat spaghetti
- 500 g pumpkin
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 8 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
- Few fresh sage leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
You can find the recipe for the kale chips here: Superfood snack bowls: Kale chips
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 225°C.
Roughly chop three quarters of the pumpkin into large cubes, leaving some for the garnish later.Toss them in a baking tray lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven to roast for 40 minutes, while checking and tossing them around, at a 20-minute interval.
Place a large saucepan of water on a medium heat to boil, seasoned generously and cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet. This should take roughly about 10-12 minutes to get it cooked to perfection.
Save a cup of the starchy pasta water for later before straining it into a colander.
The roasted pumpkin and spaghetti should be good to go at around the same time.
Chop the onion and four cloves of garlic, toss into a small pan and caramelise them on a low heat.
Place the roasted pumpkin, onions, garlic and the pasta water into a blender and blend for a few minutes until smooth. Alternatively, you could use a stick blender to simplify the process.
Dice the remaining pumpkin into 1 cm cubes and fry them on a pan until it turns golden brown in colour and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of oil on a high heat. Fry up the remaining garlic until it turns a golden brown colour and crisp in texture.Next, fry the sage leaves for a few seconds until crisp.
Transfer the garlic and sage onto a sheet of kitchen paper to soak out the excess oil. Save a few sage leaves for garnish.With the help of a mortar and pestle, make a crumb of the crispy garlic, chilli flakes and the rest of the sage leaves.
To serve, plate a portion of the creamy spaghetti, top it with the roasted pumpkin cubes, sprinkle on the garlic-sage crumb and garnish with a few sage leaves.
PRESSURE POINTS
When roasting the pumpkin make sure to toss it around at intervals so as to evenly cook them through.
Make sure the oil is hot when frying the garlic and sage to avoid ending up with a soggy crumb, you’re aiming for a lovely crunch that adds texture to the plate.
If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to see how it turned out. Leave a comment below and share your pictures on Instagram using the tag #thecookbooklife!
Stay healthy!
Nikita xx
The Cookbook Life 