Baked Pasta with Pumpkin, Mushrooms and Taleggio

Ingredients

• 300 g Short pasta
• 400 g Peeled pumpkin (Sliced; about 5-6 slices are blended with the béchamel sauce)
• 250 g Frozen mixed mushrooms (Use while still frozen)
• 180 g Taleggio (Diced; some is mixed with the pasta)
• 40 g Parmesan (Grated)
• 600 ml Milk (About 100 ml to keep the pasta creamy and 500 ml for the béchamel sauce)
• Garlic (For the mushrooms; quantity not specified)
• Rosemary (Quantity not specified)
• Extra-virgin olive oil (Quantity not specified; for seasoning the pumpkin, cooking the mushrooms and making the béchamel sauce (25 ml for the béchamel sauce))
• 25 ml Vegetable oil (For the béchamel sauce)
• Salt (To taste, for the pumpkin, mushrooms and béchamel sauce)
• Black pepper (Quantity not specified)
• Nutmeg (Quantity not specified)
• 40 g Type 00 flour (For the béchamel sauce)
• 25 ml Extra-virgin olive oil (For the béchamel sauce)

Steps

1. 1

   Slice the pumpkin. Season it with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and rosemary, then bake it until tender and golden. The oven temperature and baking time for the pumpkin are not specified.

2. 2

   Sauté the mushrooms while still frozen in a pan with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic, allowing all the water to evaporate. Add salt and pepper as listed among the ingredients, if needed; the source does not specify an amount.

3. 3

   Prepare the béchamel sauce: heat 25 ml of vegetable oil and 25 ml of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the flour and whisk to combine.

4. 4

   Gradually pour 500 ml of milk into the saucepan, whisking continuously. Add salt and nutmeg and cook until the béchamel sauce thickens.

5. 5

   Blend half of the béchamel sauce with 5-6 slices of cooked pumpkin until smooth and creamy.

6. 6

   Cook the pasta until very al dente: the source indicates 5 minutes instead of 8. Drain it.

7. 7

   Toss the pasta with the pumpkin cream, mushrooms and some of the diced Taleggio.

8. 8

   Spread some béchamel sauce over the bottom of a baking dish. Add the seasoned pasta.

9. 9

   Top with the remaining béchamel sauce, the cooked pumpkin pieces, the remaining Taleggio and the Parmesan.

10. 10

    Pour about 100 ml of milk into the baking dish to keep the dish creamy.

11. 11

    Bake at 180°C for 13-15 minutes, then switch to the grill for 2-3 minutes, until the surface is golden.

12. 12

    Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

The source does not indicate the temperature or time for roasting the pumpkin and does not specify quantities for the garlic, rosemary, oil for the pumpkin and mushrooms, salt, pepper or nutmeg. The total amount of milk is about 600 ml: 500 ml for the béchamel sauce and about 100 ml for the baking dish.

Nutrition per serving

• first course
• autumnal
• vegetarian
• baked
• gratinated
• comfort food