I know pumpkin pasta sounds like one of those “healthy” recipes that tastes like nothing. This one doesn’t. It’s creamy, comforting, tasty, and the kids will eat it without complaining.

What you need:

500g pumpkin, chopped up

1 pack of your favourite pasta (any shape is fine)

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1/2 cup vegetable stock

Extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (trust me on this one)

6 fresh sage leaves

1 handful chopped spinach

Sticky Balsamic Original Pearls

Nuts and seeds for crunch (we love pepitas)

Salt & pepper to taste

The method:

Put the pumpkin in the oven at 200°C with some oil, salt, and pepper. After about 10 minutes, add the onion and garlic to the tray.

While that’s roasting, get your pasta water going and add pasta when water is boiling.

When the pumpkin is soft (about 20 minutes total), add it to a blender with the nutritional yeast, and sage. Blend it up with the stock (add small amounts at a time) until it’s as smooth as you like it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

When your pasta is cooked, drain it and mix with the pumpkin sauce. Stir through some spinach – it’ll wilt from the heat.

Now for the good bit – top with those balsamic pearls, some nuts or seeds, maybe a bit of parmesan if you eat dairy. The pearls add this sweet-tangy finish that makes the whole thing taste like you spent ages on it, and look great at the same time.

Hint: make 2 or 3 times the recipe, portion it out and freeze it for a quick and easy dinner.

Dee helps run Sticky Balsamic, a family business based in regional Victoria while trying to balance that with family life. She’s passionate about making everyday cooking a bit more special and entertaining super-easy and fun for busy mums like herself! Because even Tuesday night dinner deserves to feel amazing.