Healthy Pumpkin Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms

This pumpkin pasta is vegan and packed with veggies and whole grains. It’s sure to become a fall favorite thanks to its short cooking time and the combination of flavors: sweet and creamy pumpkin, chewy spinach and mushrooms, whole grain fettuccine and a little crunch from the chopped walnuts.

This recipe comes to us from Elena of Happy Kitchen.Rocks.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small to medium-sized Hokkaido pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 head garlic
• 350 grams or 12 oz whole wheat pasta (I used fettuccine)
• 200 grams or 7 oz mushrooms sliced (I used crimini)
• 140 grams or 5 oz raw spinach
• 235 ml or 1 cup vegetable broth (see notes below)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts to serve
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin oil to serve (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC or 350 ºF. Chop the pumpkin into small chunks. Lay a baking tray with parchment paper and drizzle it with olive oil or cooking spray. Place the pumpkin and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut a top off a garlic head and place it on the tray. Bake in the preheated oven for around 20 minutes or until they are soft when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Heat a lug of olive oil in a large skillet and sautée chopped mushrooms for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the spinach and continue cooking until it is softened, for about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

When the pumpkin is roasted, transfer it to a blender together with peeled roasted garlic and pulse until smooth, adding vegetable broth. Add spices and herbs, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the pasta with mushrooms, spinach and pumpkin puree. Serve sprinkled with chopped walnuts and drizzled with pumpkin oil (optional but recommended). Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

Add vegetable broth one ladle at a time, until you like the consistency. It should be thicker than pumpkin soup.