I’m not big into casseroles and I’ve never cooked with pumpkin before. This is a new (to me) recipe which embraces the Autumn season. I added meat to the original vegetarian recipe. It came out a bit bland. I would double some of the seasoning (garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili flakes).

https://www.orchidsandsweettea.com/spicy-pumpkin-pasta-bake/

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb ground beef or meatballs
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 cups mini sweet peppers sliced
• 24oz tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp chili flakes
• 3 Tbsp dry white wine
• olive oil
• 1 bag rigatoni
• 1 can (14oz) pumpkin purée
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• S&P
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

• Boil water and cook pasta to al dente. Reserve some water.
• Heat oil in a large pan. Cook crushed garlic and chili flakes until fragrant then add the beef.
• When nearly cooked through, deglaze with white wine.
• Add the sweet peppers and seasoning (oregano, garlic powder, basil, paprika, S&P).
• Add tomato purée and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 5min.
• Remove from heat and add pasta. Stir to coat.
• In a separate bowl mix pumpkin purée with 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup of mozzarella, S&P, dried parsley, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add pasta water if you prefer a smoother texture.
• Pour pasta & meat sauce mixture into a casserole dish. Top with dollops of the pumpkin mixture. Then sprinkle with remaining cheeses (I skipped this step because 4 cups of cheese total seemed like too much…my mistake).
• Cover with foil and heat in oven for 20min. Remove foil and broil until cheese has melted and reached your desired crispiness level.