Pumpkin, Parmesan, Pancetta and Penne Bake - Maggie Beer The Cook & The Chef
Recipe submitted by Philippa
Saw Maggie Beer make this not so long ago and it was a tasty alternative for a main meal. Oven roasted pumpkin, crispy pancetta, 3 cheeses - parmesan, cheddar & fetta - blended with a bechamel sauce & baked until golden.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- Butternut or Jap Pumpkin
- olive oil
- rosemary
- salt & pepper
- Bechamel:
- 4 Tblsp butter
- 2-3 Tblsp plain flour
- milk - enough to form a sauce of your liking/consistency
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 box/bag of penne (or macaroni or shells, whichever pasta you prefer - I found mini penne which I used)
- 200g cubed pancetta, cut into lardons (thick strips about 2cm long)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced/crushed
- 1 Spanish/red onion, finely diced
- 1 eschallot, finely sliced
- 100-200g Persian fetta
Method
- Cube a butternut or jap pumpkin into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil & fresh rosemary & bake in a hot oven, 200DegC, until tender.
- Time will be determined by how large your cubes are.
- Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn - although a little browning is good!
- Make a bechamel sauce:
- Melt butter then add plain flour to make a roux & cook for 2-3 minutes to cook off the flour.
- Add milk a little at a time to create a creamy sauce, beating constantly.
- When sauce is desired consistency, add grated Parmesan & a little nutmeg.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil & cook penne until slightly underdone. (It will continue cooking in the sauce in the oven)
- In a frypan pan, gently saute lardons of pancetta until crisp & browned, add garlic, onion & eschallot, finely diced & cook until transparent.
- Drain pasta & put in a large mixing bowl or back into your pasta cooker - providing it is large enough to take the pasta, pumpkin, bechamel etc.
- Add roasted pumpkin & rosemary.
- Gently mix through the pancetta/onion/garlic.
- Lastly blend through the bechamel being careful not to be too rough & break up the pumpkin.
- Spoon into a greased baking dish and scatter 1 cup grated extra matured cheese on top then dot with small chunks of Persian fetta.
- Bake for around 20-30 minutes @ 185DegC or until browned & crispy on top.
