Spelt pasta is cooked and tossed in a quick sauce made with onions, pumpkin flesh, pine nuts and parsley. I use spelt pasta because it’s a whole grain, healthier than wheat, and has a good taste and texture. It also holds its shape very well. Plus, the color of the pasta pairs beautifully with the pumpkin and seasonings. It’s a light grounding dish perfect for Fall.

I love pumpkin everything. There is no question I had to make an easy-to-make pasta dish using this colourful bright orange winter squash. Did you know that although we consume pumpkin as a vegetable it’s technically a fruit? This is because of the seeds it contains. In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants formed from the ovary after flowering.

Pumpkin Nutrition

Pumpkin is delicious, versatile and easy to add to your diet. It’s also very nutritious. Pumpkin is a healthy source of carbohydrates and fibre. It’s also very high in beta-carotene, a carotenoid that your body turns into vitamin A, as well as Vitamin C. Both vitamins help to support the immune system, which is usually favorable during fall and winter. Pumpkin is also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin which help to protect your eyes against sight loss, and contains a variety of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron.

When cooking pumpkin, don’t forget to reserve the seeds to roast them! They are edible and nutritious, and delicious tossed in a little olive oil and pink salt, and roasted until crunchy. Yummy.

How to Cook Pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half with a sharp, chef’s knife. Scoop out seeds and fibres. Put the squash cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast until softened and cooked through, about 40 minutes.

What Kind of Pumpkins Should I Use?

Any kind will work, really. They all taste different. Use what you have. The big carving pumpkins we use to decorate at Halloween are not the best types to cook and eat but they are edible and can be used if that’s only what you have. Just favour the smaller ones if possible.

The Sauce

To make the sauce, I simply cooked onions, garlic, cooked pumpkin flesh, red pepper flakes, pink salt, black pepper, parsley and pine nuts and tossed it in the cooked pasta.

I garnished the dish with more parsley and pine nuts, and added a little freshly grated truffle cheese. Parmigiano reggiano would work just fine too, if you want to add cheese.

Other Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Healthy Pumpkin Bread
• Buckwheat Pumpkin Pancakes 
• Pumpkin Chestnut Soup with Apples
• Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
• Red Thai Curry Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Print Recipe

Spelt Linguini with Pumpkin and Pine Nuts

This vegan pasta dish uses spelt linguini, onions, pumpkin, parsley and pine nuts. It's healthy, easy and quick to make, and perfect to make on a busy Fall week night.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Unrefined salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 cup pumpkin flesh
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 box of organic spelt pasta, to cook

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and once water is boiling, add pasta.
• While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onions and garlic, as well as salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add pumpkin flesh, stir and cook for a few minutes to warm up the pumpkin.
• Once pasta is ready, drain and return to pot. Do not rinse pasta.
• Add the sauce to the pot and add in pine nuts and parsley. Stir to combine, taste and add a little salt and pepper if you like and plate.