INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
- 250g rigatoni pasta
- 2 cups cubed pumpkin, cooked
- 1 brown onion
- ½ cup milk
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 200g cooked baby beetroot (about 4), cut into 2 cm pieces
- 150g gorgonzola cheese, cut into 1 cm pieces
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
Pangrattato:
- ½ cup hazelnuts
- 5 sprigs thyme
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 160ᵒ
- Sauté the onion in 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, set aside to cool slightly.
- Using a processor or stick blender, blend pumpkin, sautéed onion, milk, parmesan cheese, stock, pinch of salt and pepper and blend until smooth, set aside
- In a clean process, process hazelnuts, the leaves of 5 thyme sprigs, salt and pepper until a fine crumb (you can also finely chop these ingredients together)
- Cook the pasta according to packets instructions, drain and mix through the pumpkin puree.
- Transfer pasta to a medium baking dish, using a spoon to spread out evenly. Evenly top the pasta with ¾ of the beetroot chunks, a handful of thyme sprigs, gorgonzola cheese chunks then scatter with ¾ of the hazelnut and thyme pangrattato. Finish with the remaining beetroot chunks and bake until golden (about 30-40 mins)
- Serve immediately with the remaining pangrattato on the table
For more great recipes from our Bernardi’s Foodie, Georgie – visit her blog: The Local Girl.