Red lentil pasta with cannellini, sage and squash

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Red lentil pasta70 g
• Cooked cannellini beans100 g
• Pumpkin150 g
• Fresh sage3 g
• Garlic1 clove
• Extra virgin olive oil2 teaspoons
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste

In season: September – December

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil for the pasta. Meanwhile peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and fibres and cut it into cubes of about 1 cm; crush and peel the garlic clove; rinse the cannellini beans.
2. In a wide frying pan heat the oil over medium heat with the garlic and sage for 1 minute, until they sizzle; add the pumpkin, a splash of water and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 12 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft.
3. Remove the garlic, add the beans and mash some of them together with the pumpkin with a fork, until a rustic cream forms.
4. When the water boils, salt it and cook the red lentil pasta for the time on the packet, tasting it: it overcooks easily, so drain it as soon as it is al dente, keeping a little cooking water.
5. Toss the pasta in the sauce for 1 minute over medium heat with a splash of cooking water, until well coated, and finish with a grind of black pepper.