Who could forget the viral baked feta pasta trend? We’ve spiced things up with our own twist – baked feta, delicious pumpkin, and vibrant capsicum (packed with Vitamin C!). This is a quick and easy weeknight recipe, baked in one tray and blended into a beautifully creamy pasta sauce. Serve as is with fresh pasta, or add in your protein of choice!
Time to cook: 45, Serves: 3
Ingredients:
- 250g (8.8oz) pumpkin, peeled & chopped
- 250g (8.8oz) red capsicum, deseeded & roughly chopped
- 1 block feta cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, peels still on
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 250g pasta of choice, we used rigatoni
- 1 cup pasta water
To serve:
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Sliced basil leaves
- Chilli flakes, optional
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C or 395°F.
Place the feta, pumpkin, red capsicum and garlic into a baking dish. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the top and season with black pepper and dried oregano. Add the garlic cloves to the dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
Whilst the vegetables are cooking, prep the pasta according to the packet instructions. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water to add to your sauce.
Once the vegetables are cooked, transfer them to a blender or food processor. Add in the reserved pasta water and an extra drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the freshly cooked pasta into a large bowl and pour the sauce over the top. Finish with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, sliced basil leaves and chilli flakes, if using.
