Roasted Pumpkin Pasta

Roasted Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 butternut squash, approx 1kg/2 lbs

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 shallots

  • 2-3 cloves garlic

  • 10 sage leaves, or 0.5 tsp dried sage

  • 500g/2.5 cups orzo

  • 1 litre +250ml/5 cups vegetable stock plus 0.5 cup if needed

  • 100g/1cup greens, like spinach, kale or Swiss chard (we love it Swiss chard)

  • 50g/3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Fall favourite when pumpkin, Swiss chard, Kale and late Spinach are ready to harvest. You can choose one green or even mix it. Whatever your garden can spare.

  1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.   Peel, de-seed and cut butternut squash into bite-sized cubes, season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Arrange on a shallow pan, scatter 4-5 sage leaves throughout and roast at 200C/400F for 45 minutes or until golden.

  2. 20 minutes before the squash is done, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep pan and sauté chopped shallots, garlic and remaining minced sage leaves over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add vegetable stock, salt and greens, bring to a boil, add orzo pasta and cook according to package instructions for approximately 7-8 minutes until al dente. Stir the orzo throughout the cooking process to release starch and to avoid it sticking to the bottom of a pan. If the mixture looks too thick add ½ cup of vegetable stock or water to maintain creamy, risotto like consistency. Take off the heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, salt to taste and top with roasted butternut squash.