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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
50 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Pumpkin beef bolognese. Imagine a hearty meat sauce with meltingly tender pumpkin chunks. Served with pasta and topped with ricotta. You may think that this pumpkin bolognese is a time consuming cooking project, but actually it’s comfort food at its best. It’s wonderfully easy to throw together and you only need one pan. —Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
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Ingredients
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14 ounces
pasta
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1.5 pounds
ground beef
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4 cups
diced pumpkin, with skin, seeded
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3 cups
puréed tomatoes
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1 3/4 cups
beef stock
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2
shallots, finely chopped
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3
garlic cloves, minced
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1/2
large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
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1
celery rib, finely chopped
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3 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 teaspoon
each: dried thyme, dried sage, dried marjoram, smoked paprika, chili flakes
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1
bay leaf
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1
heaped tbsp tomato paste
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sea salt + black pepper
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fresh thyme + chili flakes, for serving
Directions
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Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and celery, cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin cubes, cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add fennel, cook for 5 minutes more.
Turn the heat up to high, add ground beef and break it up a little with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat back down to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through.
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Stir in the spices, season with salt and pepper. Add beef stock and bay leaf, simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the tomato purée and tomato paste. Cover, simmer for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
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In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions.
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Serve plates of pasta with the sauce and ricotta spooned over top. Add a sprinkle of chili flakes and thyme. Enjoy!
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