1 small sugar pumpkin, about 2-1/2 pounds
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic in their peels
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 ounces pasta, such as penne or rigatoni
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (optional)

Halve, seed, and then peel the pumpkin, reserving the seeds for roasting. Cut the pumpkin flesh into 2-inch chunks. Peel the shallots, and then cut them into quarters lengthwise.

Spread the pumpkin, shallots, garlic, and rosemary on a large rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then mix to coat. Bake at 450°F for 30–35 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender, stirring the vegetables and rotating the pan halfway through. When roasted, pull the pan from the oven and squeeze the garlic from its cloves onto the vegetables.

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the butter, cheese, and pasta water, stirring until the butter has melted. Gently fold in the roasted vegetables. Adjust the seasonings as needed and divide among bowls. Serve immediately, topping with roasted seeds if desired. Serves 4.

Tips & Tricks

• As long as you’re roasting vegetables, you can fill the oven with squash for other dinners (see below): Simply halve and deseed the other squash and put them cut-side down on a separate baking sheet. I typically give squash halves a longer, slower roast, so expect them to brown more on the cut edge at 450°F.
• I cut the pumpkin into fairly large chunks for this recipe, because it will start to dissolve into the pasta when you melt in the butter and cooking water. Bite-size pieces smaller than 1 inch can soften into a lumpy, creamy sauce.
• Fresh rosemary will give the best flavor to the roasted vegetables, but you can swap in 1/3 the amount of dried leaves if needed. If you have other fresh herbs in your kitchen, try substituting them for the rosemary. Sage, tarragon, parsley, and basil are all good options but should be folded into the pasta with the pumpkin instead of roasted.

1 cup Roasted Pumpkin Puree
1 medium onion (about 1 cup when finely chopped)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup salted butter
3 ounces fresh goat cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 12-ounce package wonton wrappers
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
16 ounces kale or arugula (optional)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Scoop the freshly roasted or frozen and defrosted pumpkin puree into a colander to drain. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and sage. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat; add the chopped ingredients and sauté, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes, until the onion is golden. Cool slightly and mix with the pumpkin puree and crumbled goat cheese. Season with the nutmeg and with salt and pepper to taste.

Lay a grid of wonton wrappers on a plastic cutting board, making sure they don’t overlap; wrap the remaining wrappers in a damp tea towel. Lightly brush all wrapper edges with water, and then drop about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, making a triangle, and crimp and seal the wonton edges. Transfer the ravioli to a dry tea towel, making sure they don’t overlap, and cover them with another towel to keep them from drying out while you finish shaping the rest of the pasta.

In a large sauté pan, cook the butter and nuts over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until the butter begins to brown. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste with pepper and cover to keep warm.

Add water to a wide, 6- to 8-quart pot until it is three-quarters full and bring to a gentle boil. Add about 12 ravioli to the pot, adjusting the heat as needed to keep it at a gentle boil, and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the pasta rises to the surface and is tender. Spread the ravioli on a plastic cutting board, without overlapping; set the board on a rimmed baking sheet and prop one edge up with a large serving spoon so that it tilts the board and the water drains onto the tray. Once drained, gently add the pasta to the nut butter, folding it in to coat the ravioli. Repeat the process with the remaining ravioli, and then serve immediately, placing the pasta on a layer of greens and sprinkling with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes about 50 ravioli.

Tips & Tricks

• You can start this dish with a 2- to 2-1/2-pound fresh pumpkin, roasting low and slow or as you prepare Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin and Parmesan. Let the fresh puree drain at least 30 minutes before mixing the filling.
• Filling substitutions vary widely. For more homemade flavor, add a teaspoon or more of Home-Smoked Chili Paste or Homemade Harissa and replace the goat cheese with Lemon Cheese. Swap the pumpkin for another winter squash, or the sage for other fresh or dried herbs.
• The butter sauce is also adaptable. Hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts will hint at different flavors. Go nut free and add fresh sage or parsley and lemon juice after you’ve browned the butter and turned off the heat.
• You can simply pile the ravioli in a bowl, but I prefer to serve it on a bed of greens. Arugula will wilt nicely under hot pasta. Or tear kale leaves from their ribs and massage them with a little lemon juice and salt for a couple of minutes before dividing them into bowls.
• Ravioli stick together if you pile them in a colander, and they stick a little to paper towels and a lot to tea towels. The tilted cutting board is my best solution for draining this pasta.
• This dish freezes well on a tray for quick meals. If you plan to reheat the ravioli by boiling, freeze them uncooked after shaping and cook as you would fresh. You can also freeze the boiled and drained pasta and then reheat it in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes. Brush the frozen pasta with a little olive oil before baking, and it will crisp slightly.