Baked Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta

bluemoon downunder's Note:

A delicious pasta dish, which I have adapted from a recipe in the July 2002 issue of the Australian 'Family Circle'.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 750 g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 400 g pasta
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumb
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 250 g ricotta cheese, low fat is fine

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, add 2 tablespoons of the oil to a baking dish, add the pumpkin cubes, season with the salt and pepper, add the cumin and toss the pumpkin well until thoroughly coated with the oil, then bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
2. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the packet directions or until al dente, drain, return to the pan, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the breadcrumbs, garlic, onion and sage and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring or until golden, remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
4. Add the ricotta to the pasta and toss until well combined, add the pumpkin and gently toss.
5. Divide between the serving plates and scatter with the breadcrumb mixture and serve with salad greens.

Reviews

[Sally in Sydney]

Just finished eating this and had to post and say it was delicious! I added some roasted pinenuts which tasted great. All the kids loved it so I'll be making this again for sure!

[Ellahazman]

Very tasty thank you very much. Cheers Ellahazman

[Kittencalskitchen]

I used squash in place of pumpkin for this recipe. Although it is extremely rich, it has tons of taste, I did adjust all ingredients slightly, we enjoyed this very much! Thanks bluemoon!...Kitten:)