Pumpkin cacio e pepe

A seasonal take on one of my favourite pasta dishes!

For me cacio e pepe is one of the best traditional Italian pasta recipes so I decided to spice it up a little bit for this season by incorporating some pumpkin into the sauce. Delicious and packed with nutrients🔥

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🌱Vegetarian

🍽️1 portion

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🧀Ingredients

• 90g dried wholewheat bucatini

• 150g delica pumpkin/butternut squash, peeled and cubed

• 45g pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• Salt to taste

🧀Method

• Boil butternut squash in a pot with until soft. Transfer to a blender and blend until obtaining a very smooth purée (add a bit of the cooking water if needed to help with the blending). Salt to taste

• Boil salted water in a large pot, add pasta and cook about two minutes less than the package directions so it’s very al dente

• Meanwhile in a large frying pan add the freshly ground pepper and heat on high for about 30 seconds, then add about 3tbsp of hot pasta water. Cook stirring constantly for about 30-45 seconds

• In a small bowl add the grated pecorino and 3tbsp of hot pasta water (add a bit more of needed) and stir to make a creamy sauce

• By this time your pasta should be ready, drain it and reserve the pasta water. Add the pasta to the black pepper pan and then the butternut squash and the pecorino, quickly toss to combine at medium/high heat. Add a little pasta water if needed and continue to combine. When the pasta is cooked (about a minute) and the creamy sauce has thickened slightly, it is ready! Serve with some freshly grated black pepper and pecorino cheese.

FAQS and Tips

• I love making this recipe with delica pumpkin although any kind of butternut squash works very well

• You can use parmesan or Grana padano instead of pecorino romano. Personally I love using a 50/50 mix of pecorino and parmesan cheeses