Pumpkin Bolognese

When tomatoes are done for the season, try replacing them with this delicious pumpkin version. Sweet and creamy with a mellow hint of fall. Try it with any of our winter squash or even a mix.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of pumpkin, cut into wide wedges, seeds scraped out, unpeeled

  • extra virgin olive oil

  • Salt and fresh black peppers

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 1/2 pound ground pork, shoulder if you can

  • 1 cup finely chopped onion

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

  • 1 cup dry unoaked white wine

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • cooked pasta of your choice

  • Freshly grated parmigaiano-reggiano for serving

Heat oven to 400.

Brush pumpkin wedges with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast, turning once, until tender, about 25 minutes. Let the pumpkin cool then scrape the flesh in a food processor. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Transfer the puree to the saucepan or large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, scraping frequently with a spatula until the puree has lost a lot of it’s water and the pumpkin is thick and concentrated in flavor - like a tomato paste but pumpkin, roughly 10-20 minutes.

Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and ground pork, breaking up big chunks and cook until the meats are no longer pink, 5-10 minutes. Make sure you don’t brown the meat.

Add the onion, celery and carrot. Season with 1 tsp salt and lost of twists of pepper. As soon as the vegetables begin to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium-low. Keep cooking, stirring frequently, until they are soft and fragrant, but not browned at all, about 10 minutes.

Return the meat to a pan, then add the wine. Simmer until the wine has reduced to just a small amount of liquid, about 10 minutes.

Fold in the pumpkin mixture and the milk. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust the heat to a very low simmer, cover and simmer the sauce until the flavors are all nicely married, another hour or so. Check on the sauce during the cooking to make sure it’s not drying out. If so, add a bit more water. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with cooked pasta and top with cheese.

Jenny Bourgeoispasta, bolognese, pork, beef, meat, cheese, pumpkin, winter squash