ROAST PUMPKIN, LEEK, BROCCOLI, MUSHROOM & BASIL PASTA | Make it a Mushroom Moment

ROAST PUMPKIN, LEEK, BROCCOLI, MUSHROOM & BASIL PASTA

Time:

50m

Serves:

5

Ingredients 

  • 600g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 2–3 cm chunks
  • 250g broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 200g button mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 full bulb garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp plant-based yoghurt
  • 400g wholewheat fusilli pasta
  • 40g pumpkin seeds
  • 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
  • 50ml reserved pasta cooking water

Method 

  1. Roast the pumpkin, garlic, broccoli & mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Place the pumpkin chunks, button mushrooms, and whole garlic bulb (drizzled with a little oil) on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the tray, toss everything lightly with a drizzle of oil if needed, and roast for a further 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin is golden, the mushrooms tender, and the broccoli edges crisp.
  2. Sauté the leek: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced leek, season lightly, and cook for about 8 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat.
  3. Make the sauce: Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a blender. Add about two-thirds of the roasted pumpkin, 50 ml water, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
  4. Combine sauce & vegetables: Pour the pumpkin purée into the pan with the leeks. Stir in the plant-based yoghurt. Fold through the remaining roasted pumpkin chunks, broccoli, and mushrooms to give the sauce plenty of texture.
  5. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve 50 ml of the cooking water.
  6. Toast the pumpkin seeds: In a dry frying pan, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until golden and popping. Set aside.
  7. Finish the dish: Stir the reserved pasta water and torn basil into the sauce. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Toss the drained pasta through the sauce until evenly coated.
  8. Serve: Divide between bowls, sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds, add a drizzle of olive oil, and garnish with extra basil leaves.