Strozzapreti with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce
We’ve already gone over these “Priest Stranglers” in a previous recipe. But these were shaped a little differently, somewhere between your typical strozzapreti and a trofie, which is what made them particularly interesting to me. So many pastas have a slight variance or deviation depending on what part of Italy you are importing them from. I still love strozzapreti to death, and not only because of their Italian translation, but because of how they are a great bite and really good sauce soaker for their small size.
We are all about to experience the most unconventional Thanksgiving in a while. So why not pumkin-ify your pasta for the holiday and enjoy a little non-tradition this year? Pumpkin can yield one of the creamiest sauces without using any dairy, which really is its strength as an ingredient. But when you add some cannellini beans to the sauce, you create something that feels supremely decadent. The dish is deceptively vegan to begin with, but can be easily tuned up to an 11 with some grated cheese on top. This Thanksgiving, skip the turkey and gobble up some of this pasta.
(Recipe originally from 2020)
The Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Difficulty: Easy
Special Equipment:
N/A
Notes:
N/A
Ingredients & Mise en Place
• 17.6 oz. strozzapretti
• 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
• 15 oz. can cannellini beans
• 1 med. yellow onion - diced
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
•
32 oz. low-sodium veggie broth
• White wine
• Crushed red pepper
• Pepitas or whole pumpkin seeds
• Nutmeg (optional)
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper
Preparation
01.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
02.
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds or pepitas. Once browned, golden and fragrant remove from heat and reserve for later.
03.
In a large sauce pan over medium heat heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add in yellow onion and sweat for about 3-5 minutes until soft. Next add in pumpkin puree, tomato, and beans and stir to mix. Add in vegetable broth using your best judgement, it needs to smooth out the sauce and make it less of a puree, but not too thin that it becomes watery. Bring to a slow simmer, and add in veggie broth as it begins to thicken beyond a sauce. Stir in crushed red pepper and white wine to taste. Add in nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to work the sauce while you cook the pasta.
04.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, which should take roughly 8 minutes. Once cooked, add the pasta to the sauce, and add a little of the pasta water to slightly thin out the sauce and allow the pasta to soak it up, and toss to combine. Divide into 4 equal portions and cover with toasted seeds and a copious amount of your favorite cheese.
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