Re-creation of Pumpkin Pesto Penne from Goldbergs

I did an earlier post on a restaurant here called Goldbergs where I had an amazing Pumpkin Pesto Penne with Pancetta.  It was so good I needed to try and re-create it.  I didn't have all the ingredients that went it in, but had most of it and gave the recipe a shot.

  Pumpkin Pesto Penne 
- pesto
- half an onion diced
- 4 cloves or more of sliced garlic
- 1 half butternut pumpkin roasted and cut into cubes
- half a package of penne pasta cooked
- olive oil
- sun dried tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Rub olive oil and salt over the face of the butternut pumpkin and roast in 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until able to cut and scoop out flesh, but not too cooked so that it has a mushy texture.
2. Sautee onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil along with the sun dried tomatoes.
3. Add about a cup of pesto to the onions and garlic.
4. Immediately after adding pesto and stirring a bit, add cooked penne to the pan with some of the pasta water and toss so that all the pasta is coated with the pesto.
5. Add cubed roasted pumpkin to the dish and cook for several minutes before turning heat off.

 

Penne, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, diced onions, sliced garlic

Roasted butternut pumpkin and sauteed onions, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes, yum!

 

Voila!

I really wished I had some pancetta and fetta cheese to add to the dish as in its original recipe.  Regardless, it was still tasty and if you've never added pumpkin to your food before, you should! It is chock full of beta-carotene and vitamins and adds a sweetness to your dish that balances well with a salty component like pesto in this case.  I've also had pumpkin in lentil salad here as well as in soups and on its own as a side dish.  It is definitely not an ingredient to be used only for the fall, but should be eaten year round!