Recipe - Pumpkin and Pasta Bake

Pumpkin & Pasta Bake

This is a new recipe that I've tried just a couple of times. I originally got the recipe from taste.com.au but I've tweaked it so that there is more sauce in the dish. There didn't seem to be enough in it last time I prepared this.


Pumpkin and Pasta Bake (original recipe can be found HERE)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200 grams ( about 1 cup) diced bacon
800 grams (3 cups) pumpkin, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes (I used 1 tablespoon of chilli paste)
5 cups of water
2 chicken stock cubes
300 grams macaroni or other small pasta (I used around half a  packet of shells)
1 tub of Philadelphia Cream for Cooking
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 cup frozen peas
4 teaspoons cornflour (to thicken the sauce)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan (I used my cast iron pot so I could put it straight into the oven) add the onion, garlic and bacon. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin, chilli, stock cubes and half the water. Cook until the pumpkin starts to soften.

Add the pasta, cream, rosemary, peas and the rest of the water. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Reduce heat and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes until the pasta is tender. It may look like there is too much liquid but don't worry that's what the cornflour is for. Mix it with a little water in a small bowl and add it to the pan. Mix it in well.

Place the breadcrumbs in a medium sized bowl with half the cheese. Mix well. Place the remainder of the cheese in the pot and stir. Take off the heat. Place the mix in an ovenproof dish if you haven't used a cast iron pot. Sprinkle the cheese mix over the top. Place the dish/pot into the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until the topping has turned golden brown.

*Don't panic if everything still looks watery. The sauce does thicken up nicely by the time everything has finished cooking.