Rigatoni with roasted pumpkin and goat cheese

Because I'm thrifty, I like to make sure that all the ingredients on my weekly shopping list get used up entirely. That usually means that I try to plan piggy-back recipes... leftover roast chicken becomes enchiladas verde, and extra goat cheese from a mushroom tart gets used in rigatoni with roasted pumpkin and goat cheese.

Now, you might have the same reaction that I did to this recipe. "Meg," you might say, "why the hell would I buy and peel a pumpkin just to make some pasta?"

I know. I know it sounds crazy. But it is super easy - even if you only own a cheap veggie peeler from Ikea that cost under a dollar (yes, that's me), you can peel a sugar pie pumpkin. It will be well worth the effort. This pasta is utterly delicious. It's luscious, sweet and tangy. It's worthy of guests, or of a special dinner for two.

And, as a total bonus, you can roast the seeds and toss them with kosher salt and have a lovely snack with beer while the rest of your dinner cooks, too.

Rigatoni with Roasted Pumpkin and Goat Cheese
from Everyday Food

1 medium sugar pumpkin (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 shallots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces rigatoni (or penne, or any other tube pasta with nooks and crannies for the sauce to sink in)
2 tablespoons butter
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide pumpkin, shallots, oil, and sage between two large rimmed baking sheets; season with salt and pepper, and toss.

Roast until pumpkin is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing once and rotating sheets halfway through.

Meanwhile,in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add butter, cheese, and pasta water; toss until butter has melted.

Gently fold in roasted pumpkin; season with salt and pepper. Divide among serving bowls, and serve immediately.