Enjoy the fall flavors from your Farmers’ Market with Pumpkin Pesto Pasta. The pumpkin seed pesto, turnip greens, and the amber pumpkin make this a colorful and nutritious fall dish. Serve in a large baked pumpkin tureen and individual mini pumpkin bowls. This is an excellent recipe for holiday gatherings and no serving bowls are needed. Enjoy using your entire pumpkin in this healthy vegetable dish. http://www.bluebirdmarket.com

Steps

1. Prepare the pasta. Saute the sliced onions and garlic. Marinate the tomatoes, bell peppers and olives in the extra virgin olive oil dressing. Boil the turnip greens and turnips. Prescore the lids of the small pumpkins and microwave until soft (10-25 min.) Cut the lid from the large pumpkin tureen and bake until tender but not too soft as it will collapse (1-2 hours on 350 degrees). After removing the pumpkin seeds, toast in the oven and remove the inside (pepita) from the jacket seed hulls. Add the pumpkin seeds to the Pesto. Allow pumpkin shell to cool and remove some of the pulp for the pasta leaving some in the shell.
2. Mix together the pasta, parsley, basil, tomato-olive marinade, sauteed onions & garlic, drained turnip greens & turnips, and pumpkin pulp.
3. Toss together fall veggies and pasta. Toss hot pasta in pumpkin seed pesto and fill large pumpkin tureen. To serve, scoop into individual pumpkin bowls.