What you need:

1 can of pumpkin

3 cloves of garlic

8oz of goat cheese

1/2 cup of pepita seeds

Olive oil

Fleur de Sel

Cayenne Pepper

1 bag of penne

Empty a half a can of the pumpkin into your food processor along with the goat cheese.  Minced your three cloves of garlic and put in processor.  Sprinkle some cayenne pepper and drizzle some olive oil and mix.  The pesto should look like the picture below.  It comes out in this beautiful shade.  Add a pinch of Fleur de Sel and Cayenne Pepper for desired taste.

Boil your penne and make sure to save a cup to half a cup of the pasta water to add at the the end.  Very important tip.  I prefer al dente, therefore, pasta only needs a few minutes to cook. Empty the pasta back in the pot and add the pesto with some of the leftover pasta water and stir.  Clean out your food processor and empty a half cup of pepita seeds in the processor and grind.

Dish your pasta on a plate, sprinkle some parmesan, red pepper flakes (optional), then take your ground up pepita seeds and sprinkle on top of pasta. This should be the last step…then serve.  The pepita seeds add a little nutty taste with a slight crunch.  It’s delish!  I hope you enjoy this wonderful fall pesto dish!  Let us know how it turns out!

Squirrel Tip: Always save your pasta water to add to your pasta when mixing the sauce/ingredients at the end.

~Kisses Kitchen Squirrel