Description
Hearty classic pasta bake with pumpkin tomato sauce blends seasonal warmth and comforting Mediterranean flavors. Rich ingredients merge seamlessly, delivering a satisfying meal that welcomes you to savor each delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) dry pasta (mezzi rigatoni, shells, ziti, fusilli, or farfalle)
- 1 (15 oz/425 g) can pumpkin purée
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 8 oz (226 g) cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
- 3–4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) grated fontina cheese, divided
- ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsps butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsps finely chopped fresh sage, divided
- ½ cup (50 g) finely chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 375°F and position a rack in the middle position.
- Pasta Cooking: Boil pasta in heavily salted water until almost al dente, then drain and reserve.
- Walnut Toasting: In a large skillet, melt butter and toast walnuts with sage until golden and fragrant. Season with salt and set aside.
- Vegetable Sauté: Using the same skillet, heat olive oil and caramelize mushrooms and onions. Add tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes, developing a deep, robust flavor profile.
- Flavor Building: Incorporate spinach, allowing it to wilt. Season with oregano, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining sage to create a complex taste foundation.
- Sauce Creation: Deglaze skillet with vegetable broth, then blend in pumpkin purée, Parmesan, and fontina, stirring until smooth and creamy.
- Combining Components: Toss pasta thoroughly with the sauce, ensuring complete coverage of each noodle.
- Baking Preparation: Transfer mixture to a baking dish, top with remaining fontina and toasted walnut-sage mixture.
- Final Baking: Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until cheese is golden and bubbling, approximately 10 additional minutes.
Notes
- Pasta Perfection: Cook pasta just under al dente to prevent overcooking during the baking process, ensuring a perfectly textured final dish.
- Flavor Layering: Toast walnuts and sage before adding to the dish to intensify their nutty and aromatic qualities, creating deeper taste dimensions.
- Sauce Smoothness: Stir the pumpkin and cheese thoroughly to prevent clumping and create a silky, uniform sauce that coats every pasta strand evenly.
- Cheese Melting Tip: Use a combination of fontina and Parmesan for a rich, complex flavor profile that melts beautifully and adds depth to the pasta bake.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg