Have you already bought the first pumpkins of the season? There are just so many ways to use it in the kitchen – whether you’re making a vellutata soup, minestrone, stuffed pasta, salad or even cakes and cookies! But if you don’t have that much time to spend in the kitchen, try making this dish! Just bake the pumpkin in a pan with cheese for a main course or rich side dish you can make a day in advance or take to work the next day for lunch (if you even end up with leftovers).
Autumn means comfort food
For this warm and creamy comfort food recipe, you only need a few ingredients: pumpkin, cheese, oil, salt and pepper. The recipe’s goodness lies in the sweetness of the pumpkin mixed with the flavor of the soft, stringy cheese that comes from roasting them together.
Choose your preferred pumpkin variety. We recommend the Mantuan type if you can find it – with or without the peel. That depends on personal preference. If you decide to leave the peel on, though, just slice the pumpkin thin enough so that it will soften in the oven.
As for the cheeses, you can use fontina cheese, which melts well with the heat, or you can opt for several varieties of cheese mixed together such as gorgonzola, parmesan, mozzarella, fontina and taleggio cheese.
Our recipe for roasted pumpkin and cheese
Start by peeling and slicing the pumpkin. Arrange the slices in a baking dish, alternating with layers of cheese. (Or just mix everything together.) Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, marjoram and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 445°F (230°C) for about 20 minutes.