By: Kathryn Szklany, MA

Now that Fall has arrived, I have been craving apples, pumpkins, squash, and maple syrup. This recipe is warm, and hearty, and includes one of my favorite ingredients…pumpkin!

Leave a comment letting us know what some of your favorite Fall recipes are?

Baked Pasta with Pumpkin, Roasted Veggies, and Chicken

Courtesy of Courtney from Sweet Tooth Sweet Life

Ingredients

• 1 box pasta (any kind will work, I prefer fettuccini or penne, try Tofu Shirataki noodles for a lower carbohydrate option)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large boneless & skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups roasted veggies (I used anything I can find in the fridge, prefer zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, & spinach)
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin(not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1-1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella, freshly shredded
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta al dente, drain & set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan. Sauté chicken pieces a few minutes & then add onion & garlic. Cook for a few minutes until almost cooked through. Another option instead of sautéing the chicken is to marinade it with olive oil, basil, pepper, Italian seasoning, and then grill it.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, cooked chicken, marinara sauce, pumpkin, cheeses, peas, dried basil, salt, pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into an11x7 inch pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with a light sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.