Pumpkin and speck pasta

Do you want delicious first courses? Pumpkin and speck pasta is the one for you! Here's how to prepare this delicious autumn recipe.

Pumpkin is the undisputed queen of Autumn, perfect for creating many sweet or savory recipes . In fact, with its unique flavor, it lends itself well to different combinations but among all our favorites are those that create a sweet-savory contrast . This is why pumpkin and speck pasta is among our favorite first courses.

Excellent both for evenings with family and friends, it has the advantage that the pumpkin cream can be prepared in advance and heated at the end, while the speck is browned. We preferred to keep this dish relatively light and not add cream, but we will still give you some indications in the variations section.

How to prepare pasta with pumpkin and speck

1. To prepare this pumpkin- based first course, start by cleaning it. Using a knife, remove the peel, internal filaments and seeds. Cut it into very small cubes .
2. Finely slice the onion (leek or shallot are also fine) and brown it in a pan with oil .
3. Then add the pumpkin, a pinch of salt , a grind of pepper and cook with the lid on for 10-15 minutes , until the pumpkin is tender.
4. In the meantime, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Both short formats, such as fusilli or paccheri, and long ones such as spaghetti or tagliatelle are fine.
5. While pasta and pumpkin are cooking, brown the speck in a separate pan without adding oil. This way it will become nice and crunchy. If you buy sliced ​​speck, cut the matches yourself with a sharp knife.
6. Once the pumpkin is tender, mash it with the tines of a fork, add a ladle of the pasta cooking water and the pasta itself. Mix well and divide among plates. Complete with toasted speck and a sprinkling of parmesan if desired.

Here is a video with all the steps to make this quick and easy first course.

Variations of pumpkin cream and speck pasta

If you want to prepare a more enveloping pasta with pumpkin cream and speck, all you have to do is blend the cooked pumpkin with 100 ml of cooking cream. Then combine the cream in the pan with the browned speck (without eliminating the fat) and add the pasta. For a lighter but equally creamy version you can use ricotta , a little milk or spreadable cheese.

Among the flavors that go best with pumpkin there are sage , to be added directly into the pan while the pumpkin is cooking, or thyme , better if added fresh at the end. The idea of ​​decorating the dish with chopped hazelnuts to give it a pleasant crunchy note is also excellent.

Use the same combination to create another amazing first course, the pumpkin and speck risotto or throw yourself on the savory pie : with these flavors you will hardly make a mistake!

Conservation

We recommend consuming the first course with pumpkin and speck at the moment. If you want, you can leave the pasta in the fridge for a maximum of 2-3 days , covered in cling film, and reheat it as needed. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.