If you’ve never baked a whole pumpkin before, this is your sign to try it. Once roasted, the inside becomes buttery soft and naturally sweet—ready to be turned into the most delicious, creamy pasta topping. No blending, no fuss, just a fork to scrape the edges and mix everything together.
Roasting the pumpkin brings out its rich, caramelised flavour, making it the perfect base for your spaghetti. Simply season with Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss in your pasta, and enjoy straight from the pumpkin itself. It’s not just fun to eat—it’s absolutely delicious.
I like to make this recipe during Autumn, in Halloween season because at the supermarket you can find lots of different pumpkin varieties and I try to find a smaller and pretty one, that can be enough for 1 or 2 portions, like the one you see in the photo.
And if there’s any leftover pumpkin? Save it for the next day—it’s perfect for soups, spreads, or another quick meal. This recipe is simple, delicious, and the best way to enjoy pumpkin season.
Tips
- Find a small pumpkin so you have enough for 1 or 2 portions and there will be no waste.
- The timing to bake a small size pumpkin is more or less 1 hour in the oven but this time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin you picked.
- The inside of the pumpkin has to be very soft so after 1 hour do a little test: scrape the inside gently with a fork, it is ready when the pulp is super tender.
Swaps
Spaghetti: you can swap with your favourite pasta.
Parmesan cheese: try pecorino cheese or cheddar .
Storage
Store the cooked pumpkin in the fridge for 1-2 days.
More pumpkin recipes
Pumpkin Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pumpkin *
- 20-30 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 80 g spaghetti
- seasoning: oil salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Cut the top of the pumpkin off and with the help of a spoon remove the seeds.
- Bake at 180C for ~1h. Time will vary depending on the size of the pumpkin. I cooked it with the “top” on for the for 30mins and then removed it.
- Once ready the inside of the pumpkin should be very soft.
- With a fork, scratch the sides to release the pulp.
- Add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, oil inside the pink and mix well: this will become the most delicious topping for your pasta.
- Add cooked pasta and mix.
- Enjoy straight from the pumpkin