INGREDIENTS
½ kabocha or small sugar pie pumpkin (yield 1 heaping cup/250 mL of cooked mash)
½ yellow onion sliced into wedges
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
5 fresh sage leaves
¾ cup (175 mL) vegetable broth
½ cup (125 mL) raw unsalted cashews, soaked 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounces (450 g) uncooked brown rice penne pasta
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the pumpkin, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the pumpkin cut-side down and pierce a few holes in the skin with a fork. Cover and bake until the onion is soft and the pumpkin flesh is very tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Add the sage to the pan during the last few minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, keeping everything covered, and let it continue to steam for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Pour the vegetable broth into a blender. Remove the skin and add the pumpkin flesh to the blender along with the onion, peeled garlic, sage, cashews, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. Add the olive oil and blend again. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if you like.
Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente.
Reserve ½ cup (125 mL) of pasta water before draining the pasta.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in half the sauce, adding more as needed to coat the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water, ¼ cup (60 mL) at a time, to thin the sauce and make it creamy. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Serve hot.
SERVES: 4
VEGAN
GLUTEN-FREE