Carving a pumpkin this Halloween? You must try this recipe. Pumpkin soup is nice, but this pasta bake is truly special! A recipe to save, share and make on repeat every Halloween. Sweet pumpkin meets the delicious taste of bacon, with a fresh and flavour-packed crumb topping.
Find our bacon here.
60ml olive oil (1/4 cup)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
100g bacon, smoked or unsmoked, chopped
About 800g pumpkin carvings (alternatively squash cut into 2cm cubes)
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
750ml (3 cups) chicken stock
300g macaroni
300ml single cream
1tbsp chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
140g (2 cups) fresh breadcrumbs
2 tsp grated lemon zest
30g (1 cup) flat-leaf parsley
150g (1 ¼ cups) grated mature cheddar
1) Preheat the oven 180C fan/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bacon, and cook until the onions soften. Add the pumpkin and dried chilli flakes and stir to mix. Add half the chicken stock and cook for 5-6 minutes until the pumpkin begins to soften.
3) Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a large saucepan. Then stir in the pasta, cream, rosemary, and the remaining stock. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 8-10mins.
4) While the pasta is cooking, add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, flat-leaf parsley, and one-third of the cheese to a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and pulse to combine.
5) Stir the remaining cheese into the pasta mixture, transfer to a large baking dish. Scatter the herb crumb over the top and back in the oven for 15mins or until golden and bubbling.
