Pumpkin + Burrata Ziti

Pumpkin + Burrata Ziti - one of the best things we at this October. It’s like a Fall mac + cheese on steroids. The sauce is creamy and so squash-y, and then it’s topped with my absolute my favorite thing - burrata. It’s such a satisfying Fall meal that gets a final bake in the oven, which means the most perfect crispy bits along the edge that I dare you not to eat on the spot. Fun + comforting + a very delicious Fall pasta.

You first cook the pasta in the pumpkin sauce, which by the way is the more simple cheese-sauce to make. Just letting the pasta marinate in the sauce let the sauce just totally infused in every nook + cranny of noodles. Then you nestle in balls of burrata, bake it until the cheese it perfectly browned + melted, and then topped with a generous amount of red pepper. It’s warming, cozy, carb-y, a totally fun + festive pumpkin dish. We snuck in a couple homemade, Halloween eats after an October where we mostly fucked off out of town, and this was one, and it was perfect. The perfect Halloween-eve dish to feel festive + pair with a spooky flick.

 
 

For the ziti

  • 1 package of dried rigatoni, ziti, or penne (any tubed pasta)

  • 2 tbsp EVOO

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (plus more for sprinkling on top at the end)

  • 1 can of pumpkin

  • 2/3 c. half and half

  • 1/4 c. parmesan

  • 2 balls of burrata

Start by putting a pot of salted water over medium-high heat + preheating the oven to 425.

Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the EVOO, garlic, and shallots to the pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes - just until the veggies have softened. At this point add the pasta to the boiling water to cool until they’re al dente, and add the pumpkin to the Dutch oven. Add in the red pepper flakes along with a pinch of salt + pepper, and ladle in 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and let the sauce simmer + thicken up for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low + stir in the parmesan cheese in 3 batches - letting the cheese melt + sauce return to a smooth consistency before adding in more. Let the sauce continue to cook on low for another 5 minutes, and then stir in the half and half, and then add in the noodles. Let the noodles + sauce cook all together over low heat and covered for another five minutes. Uncover the pot + nestle in the burrata. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 20-22 minutes. The cheese should be melted + a little toasted.

Ladle the pasta into warmed bowls, and finish all of them with another sprinkle of parmesan + red pepper flakes. I served our alongside some freshly roasted brussels, and it was the perfect Fall dinner at home.

Lesley ZehnerComment