Roasted pumpkin and sage butter make a smooth, glossy sauce for rigatoni. Hazelnuts add crunch, while lemon keeps everything fresh.
Pumpkin turns sweet in the oven and develops browned edges while staying soft inside. That roasted flavor is the foundation of this dish, but rigatoni makes it more than a bowl of vegetables with pasta: the wide tubes catch the sauce on the outside and hold pieces of pumpkin too. Butternut squash is easy to peel and cut; another firm variety of pumpkin works too, as long as the cubes are roughly the same size.
Pumpkin is widely available, especially in autumn and winter. Don’t cut the cubes too small: they’ll brown quickly before they soften. Give them plenty of room on the baking sheet and roast them at a high temperature so they roast rather than steam. A large metal baking sheet helps. If you’re making a smaller amount of pumpkin, use a second baking sheet rather than piling the cubes on top of each other.
Sage and butter bring a savory, herby flavor that complements the sweetness of the pumpkin. Let the butter melt and bubble gently; this allows the sage to release its aroma without burning. A splash of pasta water helps the butter and cheese cling to the rigatoni. Add it gradually: it contains starch and makes the sauce glossy, but too much will make it thin. So keep a little extra on hand until the pasta is well coated.
Hazelnuts add a substantial roasted crunch. Toast them briefly in a dry skillet and chop them coarsely, leaving both small pieces and larger bites. Walnuts are a good alternative, though they taste a little more bitter. Parmesan adds saltiness and umami; if you’d rather cook without cheese, you can leave it out and season the pasta carefully with salt and pepper.
Lemon zest and a little juice matter more here than an extra splash of cream: the acidity cuts through the butter and sweet pumpkin and keeps the flavor bright. Add the juice a little at a time, since the acidity varies from lemon to lemon. Serve the rigatoni straight away, while the sauce is glossy and the nuts are crunchy. A simple green salad with a sharp dressing goes well alongside; you can store leftovers covered in the fridge and gently reheat them with a splash of water, though the hazelnuts will be less crunchy.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Toss the pumpkin on a baking sheet with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread it out and roast for 25–30 minutes, until the cubes are tender and deep golden brown at the edges.
Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, shaking the pan regularly. Leave to cool, then chop coarsely.
Cook the rigatoni in plenty of boiling salted water according to the package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop about 200 ml of pasta water out of the pot.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sage leaves and let the butter bubble gently until it smells nutty and turns light golden. Take the pan off the heat if the butter starts to get too dark.
Add the drained rigatoni, roasted pumpkin, lemon zest and Parmesan to the pan. Pour in 100 ml of pasta water and toss until the sauce coats the pasta with a glossy finish. Add more pasta water if needed.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and taste. Season with pepper, salt and, if you like, a little more lemon juice. Divide among plates and scatter the hazelnuts over the top.
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