As the nights are getting cooler and the days shorter, warm up with this delicious Autumn dish.
Ingredients
500g pack Pasta Vera Casarece
Pumpkin (cubes 2-3 cups)
Bacon bits or bacon rashers x 3
Parmesan cheese
Sage
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup Cream or 3 Tablespoons sour cream
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Start by cutting, peeling, and cubing the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces, about 2-3 cups in total.
Place the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray and drizzle them with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the pumpkin oven until it becomes soft and turns a beautiful golden colour.
While the pumpkin is roasting, pan-fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it becomes crispy and golden. Once done, remove the bacon from the skillet and place it on a paper towel to remove excess grease. If you used whole rashers, chop the bacon into small bits.
In the same skillet, add the fresh sage leaves and cook them for about 30 seconds until they become crisp. Remove them from the skillet and set them aside.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging in a pot of boiling, salted water. Once cooked, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Add the crispy bacon back into the pot with the pasta, then pour in the heavy cream or sour cream. Heat the mixture gently, just enough to warm it through, while stirring to combine all the flavours.
Once the roasted pumpkin cubes are ready, gently mix them into the creamy pasta and bacon mixture.
To serve, top the creamy pumpkin and bacon pasta with grated parmesan cheese and the crispy sage leaves you set aside earlier.
