Pumpkin Orzo (ve)

If there is one recipe that brings me all the Autumnal vibes, this is it! The perfect dish for midweek dinners when you’re ready to cosy up on the sofa with a good book or a spooky film.

Herby, garlicky roasted pumpkin folded into sautéed red onion and leek and finished with a creamy, high protein sauce. Roasting the pumpkin might seem an additional step here but it’s so worth it because it gains a caramelised, sweet and deep flavour that make this dish so tasty. The sauce is made with some of the sautéed veg mixed in with silken tofu for a nutritionally balanced meal.

I love it with orzo but you can use any pasta you’d like. If you’re specially concerned about your blood sugar levels or heart health, wholewheat pasta might be a better option.

• Ingredients

  • 120g orzo

  • 600g pumpkin

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • a spring of rosemary

  • 1 red onion

  • a small leek

  • a few sprigs of thyme

  • 200g silken tofu (preferably organic)

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • olive oil

• Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (fan). Boil a kettle. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

  2. Halve, deseed, peel and dice the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces. Pick the leaves off the rosemary sprig.

  3. Transfer the pumpkin to a roasting tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves, rosemary, salt, pepper and a glug of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is slightly charred on the edges.

  4. Trim, peel and dice the red onion. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan and sauté the onion on low heat so it softens without burning.

  5. Trim, wash and slice the leek. Add to the onion together with the thyme and season with salt and pepper.

  6. When the pumpkin is roasted, remove from the oven, reserve the garlic cloves and add the pumpkin to the pan with the remaining veg.

  7. Remove the skins off the garlic cloves and mass the garlic with a fork. Add this paste to the veg and stir well.

  8. Remove 3 tablespoons of the veg mixture from the pan and add it to a blender cup together with the tofu, salt and pepper. Blitz until you have a creamy mixture. If needed add some water until you have the desired consistency.

  9. Mix the orzo into the veg and stir in the sauce until the pasta is well covered in the sauce. Adjust the seasoning if needed.

Hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your recreations.