Pasta and Pumpkin Soup-Style Pasta (Neapolitan Pasta e Zucca)

A traditional Neapolitan comfort dish where pasta cooks together with creamy pumpkin until it becomes rich, velvety, and deeply flavorful. Simple ingredients, rustic texture, and a slightly spicy finish make this an authentic Southern Italian classic.

Portata One-Pot Meal

Cucina napoletana

Keyword Neapolitan pasta, pumpkin pasta, pasta e zucca, Italian comfort food, rustic Italian recipe

Preparazione 15

Cottura 30

Ingredienti

300 g small tube pasta tubetti or ditalini
800 g yellow pumpkin peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic cloves
1 small hot chili pepper or chili flakes to taste
Fresh parsley finely chopped
1 spoon Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Water as needed

Istruzioni

Heat a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot or deep skillet.
Add the garlic cloves and chili pepper. Sauté gently until the garlic becomes fragrant and lightly golden.
Add the diced pumpkin and stir well to coat it with the flavored oil.
Remove the garlic cloves.
Add a few ladles of water, season with salt, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat until the pumpkin becomes very soft and creamy, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta separately in salted boiling water until halfway cooked.
Transfer the half-cooked pasta to the pumpkin mixture together with a little of its cooking water.
Continue cooking everything together, stirring frequently, until the pasta is fully cooked and the mixture becomes creamy and thick. Add more pasta water if needed.
Just before serving, stir in plenty of finely chopped fresh parsley.

Note

The dish should be creamy, not dry.
* Traditional Neapolitan versions are often slightly overcooked on purpose to create a velvety texture.
* For extra flavor, you can add grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese before serving.