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Baked pasta with an instant cheese sauce and pumpkin, spinach, mushrooms and bell peppers

Pumpkin Mushroom Cheesy Baked Pasta

Baked pasta with an instant cheese sauce and pumpkin, spinach, mushrooms and bell peppers
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Makes: 3 large servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 200 gms button mushrooms
  • 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsps olive oil
  • 1 medium red bell pepper
  • 200 gms chopped pumpkin (I used pre-cut chunks which I sliced further; if using uncut pumpkin, start with about 250 gms to 300 gms in weight)
  • 100 gms fresh spinach
  • 150 gms cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 200 gms mozzarella, grated (see notes)
  • 100 gms cheddar, grated
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, as needed
  • 1 cup water (250 ml)
  • 200 gms dried pasta (I used a mix of penne and fusilli, it's what I usually have at home, but most varieties will work)

Instructions

  • Since the dish takes time to bake, you can prep the veggies the day before and keep them in the fridge to speed things up the day you plan to eat the pasta. For the spinach, you can chop in advance but wash only when you're making the pasta.
  • To begin, cut the mushrooms into pieces (I cut larger ones into 4 to 6 pieces and smaller ones into 2 pieces). Add the olive oil and half the garlic to a pan on medium heat and fry till you can smell the garlic. Add the chopped mushrooms, season with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Stir and cook till the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are lightly browned around the edges. Set aside to cool.
  • Now chop bell pepper into pieces, about 1/2 inch wide. Then slice the pumpkin, keeping the pieces about 1/8th of an inch thick. They might have varying sizes if you used pre-cut pumpkin, but as long as the thickness is similar, it's ok. Chop the spinach (doesn't have to be too fine, just small enough that it can be stirred into the pasta easily).
  • Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a 9 inch springform tin with two large sheets of non-stick baking paper, placing them in opposite directions so the sides are well covered. Leave an overhang so you can easily peel off the paper later. You can use a large baking dish too if you prefer to scoop the pasta out with a spoon and not slice it. Baking time will vary according to the dish.
  • Now it's time to make the 'sauce'. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, chopped basil and salt and pepper. Stir well till soft and almost combined, then pour in the water. Use a whisk to stir it in to make a creamy, slightly runny, sauce-like consistency (see photos below). There might be some lumps of cream cheese, that's ok. Remove 1/3 cup of the sauce and set it aside.
  • Now stir in the pasta, followed by all the raw veggies (keep a few pieces of the pumpkin and bell pepper to scatter on top of the dish to get them a little caramelised). Stir very well, making sure everything is coated in the sauce. Add the mushrooms and stir again.
  • Tip this entire mixture into the prepared dish. Smoothen the top. Pour over the reserved sauce (it keeps the pasta right on top from drying out), then scatter the remaining pieces of pumpkin and bell pepper on top as well.
  • Fold the baking paper overhang inwards, onto the surface of the pasta and veggies, then cover the pan tightly with foil.
  • Bake for 1 hour, then check if the pumpkin and peppers have softened enough, then cover and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes as needed till the veggies and pasta are done. Uncover the dish and turn the oven to the broil setting at 150 C for another 15 minutes or so, until the top is golden-brown.
  • Let it cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan, peel off the paper from the sides, and slice into wedges. Dig in while it's warm! Store leftovers in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, reheating in the oven as needed. Happy baking!

Notes

*If using mozzarella and cheddar, it's better to grate it yourself, since packaged pre-shredded varieties don't always melt as well. This is also why I've given weight measurements so you can buy blocks of the cheese. If you're interested, it's about 2 heaping cups of mozzarella and 1 heaping cup of cheddar after grating.
*I've tried this with feta and gruyere so it's pretty flexible in terms of which cheeses you like. The cream cheese makes it saucy, so don't skip that but as long as they're softer cheeses and at room temperature, any of them blend into the sauce.
*Feel free to add other seasonings or spices to your pasta. I like it as is, but if you want the veggies to have more flavour, you can make modifications. Alternately, you can also roast or sauté the pumpkin and bell peppers first. You can also switch up the vegetables, leave out the mushrooms, customise it any you like as long as the proportion of veggies to pasta remains about the same.
*I didn't have any trouble cutting the pasta into wedges but if you want a super set pasta that guarantees neater slices, you can also add an egg to the sauce like in the Ottolenghi recipe linked below.
*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen based on an Ottolenghi recipe