Fusilli con Zucca e Salvia

Name: Fusilli con Zucca e Salvia
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ultimate Pasta
Ingredients: 400 g fusilli; 500 g pumpkin; 8 sage leaves; 40 g butter; 40 g Parmigiano-Reggiano; to taste fine sea salt

25 minutes prep 35 minutes cook Serves 4

Fusilli con Zucca e Salvia is a beloved autumn dish that ushers in the cozy season with its warm and inviting flavors. Cooked in Italian kitchens as the leaves turn, it captures the essence of the harvest with tender pumpkin and aromatic sage. This dish is a celebration of the seasonal bounty, where the vibrant orange of the squash and the earthy green of the sage come together in a harmonious embrace.

The result is a comforting bowl of pasta, where the fusilli cradles the velvety pumpkin, enriched by the nutty depth of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the subtle crispness of sage fried in golden butter. Each mouthful offers a balance of creamy and savory notes, elevating a simple meal into a heartwarming experience. Best enjoyed immediately, savor each bite as the flavors meld and linger, bringing warmth to a crisp autumn day.

Ingredients

400 gfusilli
500 gpumpkin
8sage leaves
40 gbutter
40 gParmigiano-Reggiano
to tastefine sea salt

Method

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, add a generous amount of fine sea salt to the water. This will season the fusilli as it cooks, enhancing the overall flavor of the dish.
While the water is heating, prepare the sauce. Peel and dice the pumpkin into small cubes, about 1 cm each. In a wide pan, melt 40 g of butter over medium heat. Add the pumpkin cubes and sauté them, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and start to caramelize slightly on the edges. This should take about 10 minutes, and the pumpkin should be soft enough to be pierced easily with a fork.
Add the sage leaves to the pan with the pumpkin. Tear them slightly to release their oils and aroma, then stir them into the pumpkin. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the sage leaves are fragrant and slightly crispy.
Once the water is boiling and salted, add 400 g of fusilli to the pot. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente, as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the fusilli.
Transfer the drained fusilli directly into the pan with the pumpkin and sage. Toss everything together gently to combine, ensuring the pasta is well coated with the buttery pumpkin mixture. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up and create a silky texture.
Grate 40 g of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the pasta and toss again to incorporate. Taste and adjust the seasoning with fine sea salt if necessary. Serve the Fusilli con Zucca e Salvia hot, making sure each portion has a good balance of pasta, pumpkin, and crispy sage.