Pumpkin & Carrot Pasta (with Prawns)

Savour the fresh sweetness of pumpkin and carrots with this simple pasta dish; serve for a weekend gathering or a quick weeknight meal.

The Pumpkin and Carrot Pasta (with Prawns) is a tribute to fall’s vibrant colours, the hues of orange and red, speckled with blacks and crisp.

The recipe is also a humble attempt at rediscovering the goodness of vegetables that have always held a place of pride in my mother’s meal plans, plans that made me wrinkle the nose in despair. As a meat lover, the vegetables on my plate would always be pushed to the corner. And like every child, I too would sneak the errant cucumber or pumpkin sabji into my father’s plate, euphoric about pulling one on the parents and tragically unaware that THEY ALWAYS KNEW!

But today, I take pride and joy (the grown-up kind) in rediscovering the goodness of vegetables – their taste, texture, colour and various manners they are eaten. A whole lot of credit to this new joy goes to the need to eat better (if not in the late 30s, then when!) and pitching in as a content writer to a nutritionist.

The Pumpkin and Carrot Pasta (with Prawns) is a celebration of the exquisite natural flavours of both these vegetables. If seafood is not your thing, replace it with meat of choice or vegetables like broccoli florets, fresh green peas, green bell peppers, etc.

TIPS FOR THE PUMPKIN & CARROT PASTA

• You can switch the garlic flakes with fresh garlic.
• If using garlic flakes, allow them to splutter for a few seconds before moving to the next step. Garlic flakes tend to burn quickly and can leave a bitter aftertaste.
• For a creamier version of this pasta sauce, use milk instead of pasta water.
• To save time, you can boil the pumpkin and carrots well in advance and blitz it (check recipe) when putting together the pasta.
• You can make this sauce and store it in an air-tight bottle for later use. I’d recommend not keeping it longer than a week though I doubt it’ll last longer than two days!