Pumpkin, spinach and walnut spaghetti

Pumpkin, spinach and walnut spaghetti

pumpkin spinach walnut spaghetti

It’s almost the middle of the week so today’s dish is a no fuss, simple, mid-week supper. If, like me, you always have a container full of roasted pumpkin in your fridge during autumn, you will have your dinner on the table in no time at all.

If you need to roast your pumpkin, you can always do a quick yoga session while your oven does its magic. That’s what I’ve been trying to do lately – incorporate small yoga sessions into any waiting time.

I have a love/hate relationship with yoga. I know I need it as I have the flexibility of a small tank, but because I really suck at it, I tend to procrastinate. My current strategy is to develop a yoga habit (certainly much better than my current chocolate one;)) by finding 20 minutes to practise each day. Waiting for your veggies to finish roasting is as good a time as any. Once you finish, you’ll be in a good mood and your dinner will be just minutes away.

While many people enjoy pumpkin desserts, I’m a sucker for savoury dishes punctuated with this sweet vegetable. Its caramelised goodness goes so well with the flavours of garlic, chilli, spinach, walnuts and lemon that even writing about this makes me salivate. It’s a marriage made in heaven and it’s kind of hard to describe so best make it yourself:).

butternut squash before and after

pumpkin spinach walnut spaghetti in a pan

pumpkin spinach walnut spaghetti top down

pumpkin spinach walnut spaghetti close

pumpkin spinach walnut spaghetti portion

serves
2-3
PREP
20 min
COOKING
15 min
serves
2-3
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
15 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 200 g spaghetti (use gluten-free if you are gluten-intolerant)
  • 3 tbsp / 45 ml olive oil
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 2 cups of cubed butternut squash / pumpkin*
  • about 100 g spinach
  • ½-1 tsp chilli flakes (depending on level of heat and your preference)
  • ½ lemon, zest and juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 30 g walnuts, finely chopped
METHOD
  1. Coat cubed butternut squash in 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Bake in a 220º C / 430º F oven for about 30-35 minutes, until butternut squash turns soft and gets caramelised. Give it a good stir half way through baking time.
  2. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Fry off garlic gently on a low-medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add chilli flakes and cook for another minute or two stirring frequently.
  3. Cook spaghetti for a minute shorter than you would normally.
  4. Mash half the butternut squash with a fork or potato masher (you can also use a food processor or blender for a smoother texture). Put both mashed and whole butternut squash chunks into the pan with chilli and garlic.
  5. Add drained pasta and washed spinach into the pan. Incorporate them well into the pumpkin. Taste and season with pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and additional salt and chilli if needed.
  6. Serve immediately with chopped walnuts and lemon zest on top.

NOTES
*I’ve had a lot of enquiries, mostly from my USA-based readers, asking me why this recipe has pumpkin in the name when it uses butternut squash. To my mind, butternut squash (also known as ‘butternut pumpkin’ in Australia, New Zealand, Germany and my native Poland, to name just a few…), is a type of pumpkin. You are welcome to use any pumpkin variety you have to hand as long as it has firm and dense (rather than watery) flesh.

SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
495
25%
sugars
4 g
5%
fats
22 g
32%
saturates
3 g
14%
proteins
12 g
25%
carbs
65 g
25%
*per serving
How would you rate this recipe?
This is a test string

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

5.0
39 reviews, 91 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Ray:
Can this be made with frozen bagged squash?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Ray,
    I personally wouldn't as it's quite watery and mushy by comparison, but feel free to override me if you don't mind that. Hope this helps! x Ania
Alan:
We had a small pumpkin so why not. Did not know what expect but it was a super delicious fall meal, simple and healthy!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, Alan and thank you so much for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Ann:
HI, would you please update the prep/cooking time estimates to include the time it takes to bake the butternut squash? I was planning to make this tonight in 45 minutes based on the 20 minutes prep and 15 minutes cook time as shown, then I read in step 1 that the squash needs to be cooked 40-50 minutes. Thanks. I'll have to try this on another day. It looks delicious.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Ann,
    It is a widely used recipe convention to only include active time in the timing estimates, which is why roasting the squash was not included. Some websites also have overall time as well, but I don't have that option in my website unfortunately. Having looked at this recipe again, the time for roasting squash is too pesimisstic (I wrote that recipe long time ago, in a rented flat with a shabby oven) so I've updated it now - it should take more like 30 minutes at this heat. I'm sorry if you felt mislead, it was not my intention and I hope you'll enjoy this pasta if you decide to make it. x Ania
Kathryn:
Enjoyed this recipe! Made modifications- used acorn squash and switched out the crushed chili for a smoked paprika to make it more baby friendly. I’d make again. It’s a nice, easy dish to add into rotation for fall!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Kathryn, I am glad you and your baby enjoyed it! x Ania
grace:
delicious! A perfect example of how a few simple ingredients can quickly come together to make something fantastic.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you Grace! So glad you enjoyed it, this one is on regular rotation in our house in winter. x Ania
Kate:
Completely delicious! Exceeded my expectations, came out so much more tasty and 'juicy' than I expected. The lemon zest and the walnuts really take this over the edge. I also added a bit of parmesan over the top, which I would also recommend.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Kate, I am delighted to hear that you enjoy this pasta! Cheers! Ania
I'm making this tonight--on Halloween! I'm in the US, and whether you call it "pumpkin" or "butternut squash," it's delicious in this recipe! I've made this as well as your Vegan Bibimbap recipe multiple times. Thanks so much for sharing them!
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it as well as my vegan bibimbap too. x Ania
Val:
I must say, this was one of the best pasta dish i ever ate! Very good!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Val! I am delighted this recipe was such a hit with you and many thanks for taking the time to let me know. x Ania
Siobhan:
Pregnancy cravings led me here! I made this for dinner and even though I totally forgot to add in the walnuts I went out of my way to buy, it was delicious! I added parmesan, too.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad to hear that you enjoyed it and that it satisfied those pesky cravings. x Ania
Justyna:
Genialnie sie to prezentuje, dzięki za super przepis :D
    Ania
    Ania:
    Cala przyjemnosc po mojej stronie, dzieki! x Ania
Honor:
Could this recipe be made in advance and reheated? if so what is the best way?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Honor,
    I guess it would work if you undercooked your pasta a bit and then reheated in a pan with a good splash of water. Hope this helps! Ania
Naina:
Delicious.
We thoroughly enjoyed the pasta.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, thank you :) Ania
Jane B:
Delicious! This was absolutely wonderful, thank you so much bfor the recipe. I love roast pumpkin, but had never thought of mashing half and leaving the other half as is.
I did make a couple of very small modifications - I roasted a large clover of garlic with the pumpkin, and mashed it with the pumpkin for extra flavour. I also thinned the sauce slightly with a little of the pasta water and a generous dollop of white wine.
This will be a favourite, I’m sure of that.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Jane! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know - much appreciated. Ania
Louise:
Can I add tomatoes to this sauce
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Louise,
    Sure you can, but I personally would not advise it. It's not that kind of pasta and I don't feel like they would go so well with the other flavours. Ania
DON'T MISS A SINGLE RECIPE
Join our mailing list and we we will let you know when we publish a new recipe. You'll receive our DELIGHTFUL DESSERTS E-BOOK as a thank you for supporting us.