Name: Roasted pumpkin and red onion pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 500 g pumpkin peeled and cubed; 3 large red onion sliced into slim wedges; 45 ml olive oil; salt and black pepper to taste; 500 g orzo pasta or rosmarino or risoni; small bunch fresh Italian parsley finely chopped; small bunch fresh mint or basil, finely chopped; 2-3 rounds feta cheese crumbled; fresh lemon juice to taste; 1/4 - 1/2 cup flaked almonds lightly toasted in a dry pan

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Ingredients (10)

500 g	pumpkin — peeled and cubed
3	large red onion — sliced into slim wedges
45 ml	olive oil
	salt and black pepper — to taste
500 g	orzo pasta — or rosmarino or risoni
small bunch	fresh Italian parsley — finely chopped
small bunch	fresh mint — or basil, finely chopped
2-3 rounds	feta cheese — crumbled
	fresh lemon juice — to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup	flaked almonds — lightly toasted in a dry pan

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Method:

Preheat the oven to 220 °C. On a large baking sheet lined with baking paper, spread out the pumpkin and red onions, drizzle evenly with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes until tender and golden brown.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for 7 minutes, then drain. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pasta and stir to coat, then transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, adding the roasted pumpkin and onions. Add the parsley, mint, feta and a squeeze of lemon juice, then season all over with salt and pepper and stir gently to mix well. Top with the toasted almonds and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Orzo pasta is shaped like flat rice discs. Their size and mouthfeel make them perfectly suited to room temperature salads.

Recipe extract from Simply Seasonal, Ilse van der Merwe’s latest cookbook. Photography by Tasha Seccombe.