Napoli-style Pasta with Winter Squash & Pumpkin / Pasta Con La Zucca Alla Napoletana

Love What UEAT
Oct 12, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Apr 21

Main Meals#pastawintersquash #pastapumpkin #pastabuttersquash #falldish #comfortmeal

#winterpastadish #Thanksgivingpasta #creamypumpkinsauce #vegetariandish

Napoli-style Pasta with Winter Squash & Pumpkin / Pasta Con La Zucca Alla Napoletana

Throughout Italy, pairing vegetables with pasta is common, especially in the southern part called Campania region. We are happy to share with you this recipe.

Pasta with a creamy winter squash sauce is a popular dish. So get cozy this fall with this delicious, light tasting, healthy vegetable dish.

INGREDIENTS: Serves 6-8

9 cups of your choice of winter squash - peeled, seeded and diced

(for this recipe we used a mixture of pumpkin 🎃 and butter squash)

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 stick butter (salted or unsalted) 🧈

3 bay leaves (you can also use sage leaves)

1 package of rigatoni - 450g (16 ozs.) or any type of pasta or long noodles

Salt and black pepper to taste

Sprinkle of chili flakes (peperoncino)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Bring to boil a medium size pot of water, to be added to the diced squash as it cooks.

Then peel the pumpkin and squash and remove the seeds, slice and dice them to cook over stovetop.

2) In a large saucepan, over medium heat, pour the olive oil and butter. Then add the bay leaves. Sauté to release some of the flavour. Add the squash, along with the seasonings. Add 3-4 ladles of the hot water. Mix well. Cover the pan, lower the heat, allow the squash to cook gently until it is quite soft and beginning to “melt”, resembling a cream. Add more water if needed and stir. Remove the bay leaves. Crush the squash with a potato masher, fork or for a creamier texture, purée it.

3) Bring to boil a large pot of water. Generously season the water with salt, add the pasta and cook as per the directions on the package (or to your taste). Don’t forget to reserve some of the pasta water, in case you need it to make the sauce creamier.

4) Drain the pasta. Add the sauce and give it a toss. If you like, mix in some finely chopped parsley.

5) Serve immediately, topped with more chili flakes and or grated cheese, as you prefer. Whether it’s a casual dinner or a special occasion, this simple dish brings the flavours of fall to any table.