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Parsley Pesto and Pumpkin Pasta

17/11/2023

I can offer you an Italian version of parsley pesto and pumpkin pasta. This is an excellent autumn or winter combination that pairs the sweetness of pumpkin with the fresh and slightly spicy flavor of parsley. Here is the recipe for preparing a tasty and colorful dish.

Ingredients

  • 320 g of pasta (penne, fusilli, or another shape of your choice)
  • 300 g of cleaned and cubed pumpkin
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 30 g of pine nuts
  • 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Reserved pasta cooking water to taste

Preparation

  1. Begin by cooking the pumpkin. You can steam it, bake in the oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes, or even cook it in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a bit of water, covering with a lid until it becomes tender.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions. Remember to save some of the pasta cooking water before draining.
  3. For the parsley pesto, wash and dry the parsley, then remove the leaves from the stems. In a food processor or with an immersion blender, combine the parsley, pine nuts, peeled garlic, Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper, and blend while adding extra virgin olive oil in a stream until you obtain a smooth and creamy sauce.
  4. In a large skillet, if you want to enhance the flavor of the pumpkin, you could briefly sauté it with a bit of oil and a clove of garlic in the skin.
  5. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to the parsley pesto to make it more fluid.
  6. Add the drained pasta into the skillet with the pumpkin, remove the garlic, and pour over the diluted parsley pesto. Mix well to combine everything. If necessary, add more cooking liquid to reach the desired consistency.
  7. Immediately serve the pasta, garnished with extra Parmesan if desired or fresh ground black pepper.

Curiosity

Pesto, typically made with basil and pine nuts, has various regional variations in Italy; the one with parsley is less common but offers a fresh flavor and a nice variation. Pumpkin is widely used in Italian cuisine, especially in northern regions such as Veneto and Lombardy, where it is incorporated into many first courses and risottos.