Heather is a mom of two boys, ages 4 and 2, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather_kidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.

Pumpkin baked goods, pancakes, waffles, pies, and muffins are all delicious ways to use the Veggie Buds Club veggie of the month, but for something a little different I am taking the warm, fall flavors of pumpkin over to the savory side with this easy pasta dish. The result is a nutrition-packed, flavorful, creamy dish the whole family will enjoy. Plus, it's made in one pot and ready in less than 20 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme and/or sage, optional
• 8 ounces small shaped pasta such as medium shells, fusilli, or penne (high protein pasta made from chickpeas or lentils work great too)
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons yogurt (I prefer whole milk Greek yogurt, but any kind will be good)
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
• 1 teaspoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and garlic.
2. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in herbs, if using, and stir to combine.
3. Add in pasta, water, salt, pumpkin purée, and spices. Stir to combine.
4. Raise heat to high and bring to a simmer. Adjust heat, if necessary, to keep at a simmer until most of the water is absorbed and pasta is cooked to your liking. Stir frequently to keep pasta from sticking to the bottom.
5. Turn off the heat. Stir in yogurt, Parmesan, honey, and vinegar.
6. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
7. Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

We are a big fan of making food from scratch! Now that pumpkin season has begun a main staple when it comes to fall recipes is pumpkin purée. The great thing about pumpkin purée is that you can bake a few pumpkins at a time, purée them, and then freeze the purée in 1 cup servings for use at a later time. Pumpkin purée is great to have on hand for sweet dishes such as pumpkin pie as well as savory dishes such as filling for ravioli or pumpkin mac and cheese (check out our One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta post!). You can find plenty of recipe inspiration featuring pumpkin on our Pinterest page! Here we are going to demonstrate how to make a basic pumpkin purée with no additives.

Ingredients

• 1 or more medium pie pumpkins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut pumpkin/s in half and scoop out seeds (set these aside to create roasted pumpkin seeds!)
3. Place pumpkin halves face up or down on a baking sheet
4. Bake until the pumpkin flesh is soft, about 45 minutes-1 hour (depends on the size and quantity of pumpkin/s)
5. Remove pumpkin/s from oven and allow to cool 
6. Scoop out the flesh, place in a food processor, and process until smooth OR place flesh in a large bowl and process with an immersion blender until smooth