Easy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta, Elevated

Margaret 00:00:05 What happens when you take a love of food, a passion for culture, and a deep knowledge of cannabis and you toss them all into one bowl? You get Bite Me, the podcast that explores the intersection of food, culture and cannabis and helps cooks make great edibles at home. I, as always, am your lovely host. Margaret is Certified Ganjier, TCI Certified Cannabis Educator, and I believe that your kitchen is the best dispensary you'll ever have. Together, we'll explore the stories, the science, and the sheer joy of making safe, effective, and unforgettable edibles at home. So pre-heat your oven and let's get ready for a great episode. Friends today, episode 326 Creamy Pumpkin Pasta. Yes, that's right. That's what we're going to be covering today. And it feels like it's been a hot minute. I know that the last couple episodes I put out were interviews, and if you haven't had a chance yet to check those out, I recommend that you do because one. I love doing interviews.

Margaret 00:01:06 It is one way that I can connect with other. Find folks in the cannabis space and people who are doing some really cool things in the world. And the most recent interviews were with Ishizuka of cannabis babes Patti and Mark, who did the Nectar Ball documentary, and Amanda Reiman, a two time guest now who has so much to share about cannabis, mindful cannabis consumption, among other things. So if you haven't checked those out, please do and I would love to hear from you. You can always leave me a message. There's numerous ways to get Ahold of me, but is there somebody that you would love to see on the podcast? Because 2026 is nearing, and I'm always looking for interesting people to bring on to the show. And I just want to say, also, thank you for being here. It really means a lot to me that you are showing up and taking time out of your busy day to listen to me talk about edibles and the thing that we both love. Because I'm assuming if you're listening to this, it's because you are a fan of cannabis and cannabis edibles as much as I am.

Margaret 00:02:14 If this is your first time tuning in. This creamy pumpkin pasta is one that I will be making again. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's a fun, easy recipe to have in the repertoire when you know it's nice to have like a few dishes on rotation that you can be like, I'm going to make this because I am feeling not like getting into something more in depth. And if you've been listening for a while, I wouldn't be here without you. So again, I appreciate you. So today we're making this creamy pumpkin pasta. And you know, I was. Should I do it now? I don't feel like doing a trivia. We're going to be doing this creamy pumpkin pasta. Why is this exciting? Why should you make this? Well, as I record this, we are going to be nearing Thanksgiving in the US of A. And there will be many of you who will be purchasing items to make a traditional turkey dinner. And if you happen to be picking up a can of pumpkin puree, why not grab two and then you can make this as well.

Margaret 00:03:12 When the dust settles and the turkey is all gone. Or leaning up to because you don't want to make something that's really fussy before you're putting on a big dinner. And pumpkin, I feel like is really underutilized as an ingredient. It's more popular. Cousin. The squash, I think gets more, gets more attention. And I think it's time we we stopped that. I mean, of course pumpkin is the highlight of the Halloween season, but not in the same way. I mean, let's be honest, you're buying a pumpkin to carve it up to make it into something else. And yes, if you're fortunate, you can roast those pumpkin seeds, and that's really great, but you're not incorporating pumpkin into your dishes at that time. Yes, the pumpkin is the star of the show, but in a very different manner. So this is an opportunity to try out some pumpkin inspired cooking. Now if you're thinking. But Margaret, I went out and I bought some stuff and it calls for 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree in this recipe that you're sharing with me today.

Margaret 00:04:13 What am I going to do with The leftovers? Because I they only had the big cans. Well, I'm glad you asked because I recently did an episode on a pumpkin spice creamer. You could do that. I have done an episode on dog treats that were that had pumpkin puree in them. And I have actually done a number of pumpkin based recipes over the years. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin cookies. There is no reason why you can't find a way to use up the rest of the pumpkin if you don't use at all, and you can only get the big cans. So there is my little PSA of the day. Now, are we infusing this whole creamy pumpkin pasta? Of course we are. But the way we're going to be doing it is such that you can share this with people of all tolerances, or with no tolerance whatsoever. You've got options. Let's get into it, shall we? And before I do begin, pull out your phone right now. Hit the share button to share this with somebody that you think would enjoy it.

Margaret 00:05:22 Because word of mouth is still the best way to share the show with other edibles enthusiasts out there. And you know, my marketing budget is kind of limited. I don't have deep pockets to be advertising in traditional spaces, and also I am in the cannabis space. So many of those options are not open to me, so word of mouth is still the best way to spread the word. So if you would do that for me right now, I would appreciate it and I appreciate you. Creamy Pumpkin pasta I made this a little while ago, not thinking that I would enjoy it as much as I did, but I did see this recipe and I was like, oh, I really like I do like pumpkin. And I had recently made that pumpkin spice creamer. So I had pumpkin on my mind, and I found this recipe from A Bon Appetit by Rachel Gurjar. I hope I said your name correctly, Rachel, and she says transform a can of pumpkin puree into a luscious, creamy pumpkin pasta sauce for a near instant dinner with major fall feels.

Margaret 00:06:29 And I can confirm this does have major fall feels, and it was pretty easy to put together. I made it on a weeknight and as the recipe is written, it says four servings. I think I got more than that out of it. I was just cooking for two, but we ate it for a few days in a row, I loved it. I will definitely be making it again, because I do tend to try and keep pure pumpkin puree in my cupboard. And if you're ever feeling uninspired, this is a good way to get a healthy dose of some vegetables because pumpkin is again a healthy vegetable that is often overlooked. So what do you need for this recipe to make it all happen? You need a medium tube shaped pasta such as rigatoni, penny or kalamata. I've not heard of Kalamata. I will admit, and I think at the end of the day I used a Rossini because when I went to the store to get a couple of the items, I forgot to get the pasta so it can work with other shapes.

Margaret 00:07:26 But I can see why the medium tube shaped pasta would be pretty nice with this. But at the end of the day, if you forget whatever works you need salt your extra virgin olive oil, a medium white onion, six cloves of garlic. The crushed red pepper flakes which I really feel is an ingredient you should not skip in this dish. The crushed red pepper flakes, I think, tied it all together. You need some heavy cream, the zest of a lemon and some parmesan, some to go in the sauce, and a little extra for grading. Here's what you're going to do. To put this together, you're going to cook your pasta as one does. And when you drain it, you're going to reserve a couple cups of the pasta cookie water now. Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, you're going to heat the olive oil in your Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan, and then you add your white onion. Your garlic. It does call for six cloves of garlic. So this is pretty garlicky.

Margaret 00:08:26 But I didn't actually find it overwhelming, maybe because it made quite a bit, but you could always adjust that as needed if you're depending on how you feel about garlic. I love garlic, but some people might feel differently. This is where you also add your crushed red pepper flakes, and you stir it until the onions are softened. Then you add your can of pumpkin puree, stir it up, stir in your heavy cream with a little bit of the reserved pasta cooking water. And next you're going to add the pasta to the sauce and cook, tossing in a little more of the pasta cooking liquid. If you feel that it needs it, you're going to make sure that the pasta is nice and coated with the sauce, and then you're going to finish it with yours. Lemon zest and parmesan all mix in the same Dutch oven. Which is why, just to note that if you're making this, you do need a pan that's going to be big enough to hold the pasta that you're cooking as well, because it really is worth putting it all in together.

Margaret 00:09:23 But that's it. It does come together really quickly, and it is delicious. Now, if you're somebody that's just like, but I really do need some greenery in my life, I feel like you could easily add some greenery to this if you are so called. I didn't do that. Sometimes it does feel weird to eat something that doesn't have something green in it, but I could see this working really well with maybe finely chopped broccoli florets. Maybe you could throw in a little spinach, do a side salad if you don't want to mix it up too much. so yeah, I mean, this I feel like this has some versatility to it. And you know how I feel about versatility, being able to amend things to suit your personal preferences. Now you might be saying, but Margaret, where did you infuse this? And that's what when I'm going to say, well, I haven't yet. And that's because I feel like pasta is one of the best dishes for adding an infused olive oil to after the fact.

Margaret 00:10:20 And the reason why this, I think, is the best way to approach a dish like this is because it does make so much. And if you use infused olive oil when you're cooking the onion, I mean, you are cooking at a medium heat. So I don't think you're going to destroy any of your cannabinoids, but that means your entire dish that serves four people. And actually, I think we've got six, six, servings out of it. When I made it, you're going to be infusing an entire six servings. And what if you don't necessarily want to get high for all six servings? What if you're serving it to somebody who doesn't want to get high at all? Well, that's why you take some of your olive oil that you have, of course, dosed. You know how strong it is, ideally, especially if you're sharing it with anybody else besides yourself, and you're going to serve up your dishes, you're going to add your extra parmesan for serving. And then actually I'd probably do the parmesan after, but I would take some of that olive oil and drizzle it on to the pasta, then add my parmesan, maybe a little pepper chef's kiss.

Margaret 00:11:23 And as simple as that. And that way you can tailor it. So also you know that if you have a tolerance of a certain amount and somebody needs more or less than that, you can easily adjust as you see fit. That's why I also really love having like olive oil on hand or other infusions that can lend themselves well for infusing savory dishes. Now, I had thought because it did make quite a bit. I do tend to do this. I'll make. I love cooking once and then eating a couple dinners out of it. It made enough. I probably could have frozen some. I never did get around to freezing any of it because we just ate it all and it was delicious. But this is a great recipe to use some of that pumpkin puree. And again, it's a relatively quick weeknight meal, so if you have a busy evening, it doesn't take too long to put together and you can medicate it as you see fit. So many great things about this recipe, so I really encourage you to give it a try, especially if you're a pumpkin fan.

Margaret 00:12:17 If you love pasta, if you haven't used olive oil, then by all means, this is the best. That's the best way to infuse it. I hope you enjoy it. I think you will. I would love to hear how it turns out for you if you try it out. Also, let me know what other recipes you would love me to cover. So before we part ways today, I just also wanted to mention that I am planning some new things in the Miami Cannabis Club for the month of January. I will be talking about it very soon, but it's not quite ready yet. I have a few things yet to iron out, but do keep your eyes open for that. And of course, if you want to become a member of the Bite Me Cannabis Club, we would love to have you. It is a really great space that is free of algorithms. Who here is also sick of algorithms that are dictating our lives? It seems like every time we turn around, yes. Do they know us intimately and know exactly what it is that we potentially want to see? Sure.

Margaret 00:13:12 Is that a little creepy also? Yes. So I mean, there are. I am still on social media platforms because those are all algorithmically based, also not chronological. So anyway, if you want to escape all that, also the censorship censorship on many social media platforms around cannabis is another reason why. Coming over to the Bite Me Cannabis Club is so wonderful, so I encourage you to check it out and consider joining. We would love to have you. I am always open to questions if you have any questions about it. I have one more interview to come out before the end of the new year. It's one that several people have been asking for and I and I'm excited to release it. I do have an interview coming out with Doctor Sarah Andre, and she is a a veterinarian that specializes in cannabis. So that is going to be a great episode. I think you are all going to enjoy it. So stay tuned for that. That will be coming out very soon. And then we're getting into the end of the year.

Margaret 00:14:10 I think that's it for today, my friends. I am your host, Margaret. And until next time, stay high.