CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH PUMPKIN & RICOTTA

This recipe is from the cookbook Vegetables for Vitality. It's a really different recipe. You can find the pie pumpkins at HyVee near the bagged salads--they are the smaller pumpkins used for cooking. The only difficult part to this recipe is chopping the pumpkins. Be very careful, as you have to use a lot of force to remove the peel. Hint: Chop the pumpkin in half, seed, & then slice each half into about 6 wedges. Lay each wedge on the side to carve off the peel.

The cheese tortellini can be found in the frozen food section near the ravioli.

1 tbls olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. pie pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded, peeled, & cut into 3/4" cubes (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp leaf sage, crumbled, or 1/4 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
12 oz cheese tortellini
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese
1 tbls finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, & cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Add chopped pumpkin, broth, sage, salt, & pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat & cover. Simmer just until pumpkin is fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Do not overcook, or pumpkin will be very mushy. Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling water until tender, following package directions (usually about 2-3 minutes). Drain. Toss tortellini with ricotta in large bowl. Add pumpkin, Romano cheese, and parsley to tortellini mixture. Toss gently to combine. Serve at once.

4 servings

Nutrition: Cal 305, Protein 15g, Carbs 36g, Fat 12g, Chol 26mg, Fiber 5g