Double-Pumpkin Fettuccine

I wouldn't normally think to make a weeknight pasta recipe with two homemade sauces, but this dish is so delicious that it is more than worth it.  Plus, both sauces are super easy to prepare -- they're basically just dump and mix.  The first one is a pumpkin cream sauce flavored with Parmesan and lemon zest.  Everything just gets mixed together and then simmered a few minutes to melt the cheese and cook the egg.  The richness of the cream sauce is cut with a pepper-y, garlic-y pumpkin seed pesto made with arugula in place of basil.  You could easily substitute another green such as spinach, kale, or leafy herbs.  The two sauces are amazing together, and they pack lots of veggies into a pasta dish.  Yum!

Fair warning: the cream sauce loses some of its creaminess and doesn't look as appetizing in leftovers the next day, but it is still really tasty.

Double-Pumpkin Fettuccine (adapted from Feeding the Family)

Serves at least 4, leftovers aren't as pretty but still taste good

1 pound fettuccine

For the pumpkin cream sauce:

3-5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

2/3 cup canned pumpkin (look for 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix!)

3 T heavy cream

3 T olive oil

1 large egg

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

For the pumpkin seed pesto:

1-1/2 cups arugula

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt

1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but stopping about 1 minute short of the final cooking time since the pasta will cook a minute longer in the sauce.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.  Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all the cream sauce ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper.  When the pasta is done cooking, whisk in the pasta water.  Return to to the pot used to cook the pasta, and place over medium heat.  Stirring constantly, bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Return the pasta to the pot, and cook for another minute, stirring, until the pasta is al dente.

3. Combine all the pesto ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is the texture you like.  This is a little stiffer than some other pestos, so you can add more olive oil if you prefer a looser sauce.

4. Top each portion of pasta with a spoonful of pesto.  Yum!