Bought penne pasta, cucumber and a small pumpkin on sale. I intended to bake penne and pumpkin in my air fryer. By the time I cut the skin off the pumpkin and cubes it. My friend called and said let’s go for dinner.

I forgot I had already washed and kept the pumpkin in the water for two days in fridge. Then when I wanted to use it, some pumpkin cubes feel slimy. I have to throw away don’t want to get sick or stomach ache. Luckily, I have about a handful left that are ok to eat.

This is my simple dinner. I had melted butter in fridge; I melted it again to use with my leftover pumpkin. All I needed is boil pasta until al dente. Then cut up the cucumber and add baby spinach to my cooked penne and cooked pumpkin in my melted butter and season with black pepper. Learned my lesson never leave pumpkin in water for too long. Glad, I still have some to eat. It comforting and delicious. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

150 g penne pasta
50 g melted butter
1 Tsp minced garlic
4 slices cucumber
A handful cubes pumpkin
Half handful salad
water, for cooking pasta
salt
black pepper

Method

Place a food stacker in the middle the black plate. Piled the salad inside the stacker, remove the stacker. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add penne and cook until al dente about 8 minutes, depending on how much penne you are using. Reserved about half a cup of penne water. Use a slotted spoon, spoon the penne up on to the black plate with salad: place penne all around the salad.

Meantime, heat saucepan with melted butter on medium heat, once butter melted add garlic, cook for 25 seconds. Then add in cubes pumpkin, with about 4-5 Tbs pasta water, toss to mixed well in the butter garlic sauce until pumpkin is cooked about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Now spoon the pumpkin butter sauce on to the cooked penne. Add the sliced cucumber on top of penne. Shakes some more black pepper on top off cucumber, penne and salad. Enjoy with a glass of Pinot gris!!!!

https://helenscchin.com/2024/08/10/penne-cucumber-salad-in-pumpkin-butter-sauce/

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