Pumpkin yoghurt pasta salad

I’m always looking for some filling, fresh and yummy accompaniments to a meaty summer BBQ. A side that can stand alone and isn’t just the obligatory greenery on the plate that justifies the three sausages next to it.

Pumpkin is my new favourite vegetable – so versatile, colourful and flavoursome. So I wanted to come up with a BBQ side that would utilise pumpkin in all its glory. A pasta salad was an obvious choice!

This light and summary pasta salad is the perfect addition to a summer BBQ.

Ingredients:

• 500g pasta
• 1/2 pumpkin – half diced and half boiled
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 2 cloves garlic diced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoon yoghurt
• 1 zucchini
• 6 mushrooms diced
• 4 rashes of bacon
• Punnet of cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup parsley
• ¼ cup basil
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 100g ricotta
• Tablespoon of lemon juice

Method:

• Put half the pumpkin in the oven at 250 degrees and roast for 30minutes or until cooked
• Boil half the pumpkin and once soft, mash until smooth
• Cook garlic until it softens
• Add the pumpkin puree (you should have approximately 1 cup), vegetable stock, oregano and salt and pepper and cook on low for 15minutes or until it thickens
• Cook the pasta
• In the meantime, thinly slice the zucchini and cook with olive oil, salt and pepper until soft
• Dice the mushrooms and cook until they darken
• Cook the bacon until crispy and cut into 1cm pieces
• Once the pumpkin sauce thickens, remove from heat and quickly mix in the yoghurt
• Once pasta is cooked, drain and add the pumpkin sauce, roasted pumpkin, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and olive oil (I used herb infused), parsley, basil and bacon.
• Mix the ricotta and lemon juice together and add to pasta salad
• Enjoy!

This recipe actually makes an amazing cold pasta salad or simple weeknight meal, served warm. For a vegetarian alternative just remove the bacon and consider adding some olives for some salt.

Fun farewell yoghurt fact:

“Yoghurt bacteria can relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.”

Source: http://factspage.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/14-interesting-facts-about-yoghurt.html