This recipe for pasta with pumpkin is from Campania and Calabria, where it is made using the local elongated variety of pumpkin called cocozza (cucuzza in Calabria). Since pumpkin doesn’t have a very strong flavor anyway, you can easily substitute with most types of pumpkin (or butternut squash). The flavor of this dish is mostly defined by the chili and the parsley. What is particular about this recipe, is that the pasta is finished cooking in the pumpkin sauce, similar to risotto. This will allow the pasta to ‘absorb’ the pumpkin, which is why you should use a ribbed pasta shape with holes. Like most classic Italian recipes, there are only a few ingredients.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 400 grams (0.9 lbs) peeled, seeded, and diced pumpkin
• 200 grams (7 oz) short ribbed pasta, I used tortiglioni
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
• fresh chili or chili flakes
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 30 grams (1 oz) freshly grated parmigiano + more for garnish
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• salt

Instructions

Heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a casserole. Add a peeled and halved garlic clove and a red chili pepper, or chili flakes to taste (1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon). Stir over medium heat until the garlic starts to color.

Then add 400 grams of diced pumpkin, and stir until the pumpkin has been coated with the oil.

Season with salt and add about 125 ml (1/2 cup) of water.

Cover and simmer the pumpkin, stirring regularly…

…and adding more water if the pumpkin becomes dry.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. When the pumpkin is tender but not yet falling apart, add salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the time indicated for al dente on the package.

In the meantime, the pumpkin should be come so soft that it falls apart. Remove the chili.

When the pasta has been boiled for 2 minutes less than the time indicated for al dente on the package, take the pasta out of the pot with a strainer, and add it to the pumpkin.

When you have added all of the pasta to the pumpkin, stir continuously to finish cooking the pasta. This should take a couple of minutes.

Add some of the pasta cooking water as needed.

Turn off the heat when the pasta is cooked to your liking. Add 30 grams of freshly grated parmigiano and a tablespoon of minced parsley.

Stir to mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.

Serve the pasta on preheated plates, sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and some freshly grated parmigiano. Drizzle with some very good extra virgin olive oil.