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Pumpkin Pasta by Luigi Tesoro

Nordics
Recipe
Italian Cuisine

Luigi Tesoro, a pizzaiolo from Naples and head pizza chef at L'autentico in Vienna, shares his delicious pumpkin pasta recipe—perfect for autumn.

The Editors

(Serves 4)

Ingredients
2 medium Hokkaido pumpkins
300 g spaghetti
Some fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves
A splash of olive oil
A pinch of chili (to taste)
20 g salt
  • First, halve the pumpkins and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
  • Then cut them into evenly sized cubes. Lightly crush the three garlic cloves. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the garlic in the hot oil until it turns golden brown.
  • Add the pumpkin cubes to the pan. Pour in a small splash of water to prevent sticking, then cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the pumpkin for about 10 minutes until it softens slightly, stirring occasionally.
  • After 10 minutes, add about 1 liter of water to the pan—just enough to cover the pumpkin. Add a bit of salt and a pinch of chili flakes, depending on your preferred level of spiciness. Stir well, cover again, and let the pumpkin simmer for another 10 minutes over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Instead of cooking the spaghetti whole, break it into smaller pieces (about 4 cm long). This slightly unconventional method helps the pasta combine better with the pumpkin later.
  • After the second 10 minutes, the pumpkin should be soft enough to mash easily. Remove the garlic cloves from the pan. Add the spaghetti directly into the pan with the pumpkin. Reduce the heat slightly and let everything simmer gently without a lid until the pasta is al dente and well combined with the pumpkin sauce.
  • While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the parsley. Sprinkle the finished pasta with fresh parsley.
  • Serve the pumpkin pasta hot—ideally with a glass of suitable white wine.
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