Creamy pumpkin pasta

To balance the cream's richness and the pumpkin's sweetness, use salty pasta water—aim for a 'sea salt' level.

Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole wheat short pasta (like penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or shells)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus extra
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup pure pumpkin purée
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus extra

Instructions:

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until it reaches an al dente texture. Drain, keeping 1 cup of the pasta water aside.

2. In the meantime, bring the cream to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it reduces by half, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin purée and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Toss everything together and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3–4 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Finish with freshly ground black pepper before serving.