Simple Pumpkin, Sage and Feta Pasta

By now you know I regularly have a stash of roasted veggies in the fridge or freezer as the base for quick midweek dinners.  This easy pasta dish is super-quick, nourishing and packed with flavour - a great way to eat lots of veggies and still have a comfort-food pasta meal. The roasted pumpkin chunks are really the star ingredient.   Enjoy!  Colleen

This recipe uses pumpkin you've  already roasted and saved in fridge or freezer.  

If cooking from fresh add an extra 30 minutes.

Preparation          5 minutes

Cooking               10 - 12 minutes.   I cook pasta in one pan and other ingredients in 2nd pan.

Ingredients

Pasta - enough for 2 people, 4 people or a tribe. I like to use spaghetti 

NB reserve some of the pasta water to add back into sauce

Roasted pumpkin cut into chunks.  Bite-size works best

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - good splash plus more just before serving

Butter (optional)  - 2 teaspoons per person approx

garlic - crushed,  approx 1/2 clove per person

sage leaves -      roughly sliced - approx 6 leaves per person

Dried sage  -     tiny pinch per person

Dried mint or thyme  - small pinch per person

Dried chilli flakes - to your taste (optional)

Baby spinach leaves - big handful per person - they wilt to almost nothing

Black olives - pitted and quartered.   4 or 5 per person

Parsley -        small handful - roughly chopped

Feta cheese   - approx 4 tablespoons per person - crumbled 

Freshly ground black pepper - I like to add a decent amount just before serving

Small squeeze of lemon juice just before serving

Method

Cook pasta in rapidly boiling water according to packet directions (approx 10-12min)

While the pasta is cooking

In separate pan - heat the oil and butter, fry the sage leaves, add dried herbs and garlic . 

Toss through the roasted pumpkin chunks to reheat.

Then toss in the baby spinach to wilt

Add the black olives and parsley

Drain the pasta   -  and reserve approx 1/2 cup of pasta starchy water

Add the cooked drained pasta to the pumpkin mixture and stir through some of the pasta water (start with a few tablespoons and add more if you need)  to loosen the pasta -  it makes a bit of a sauce with the oil and butter

Stir through the crumbled feta, black pepper and a dash of lemon juice.

Enjoy!  Colleen