One-Pot Pumpkin-Tomato Orzo

When you need a hearty dinner and you need it tootie-sweetie, as friend Sue says, a one-pot pasta dish (especially if it’s vegetarian) is your go-to. Sauté a few aromatics, add liquids, bring to a boil, stir in pasta, cover, and cook until it’s done. If you have the proportions of pasta to liquid right (you can always add more liquid if needed), this dinner is going to cook and you’re going to eat pretty quickly. Pour the wine and set the table before you begin; it’s that quick. If you need meat, stir in some cooked and shredded chicken along with the cream at the end or add some spicy grilled shrimp on top when serving. Follow italics for a vegan version.

4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted butter or olive oil
¼ cup each: chopped onion and celery
1 tablespoon each: minced fresh parsley and fresh sage(Can sub ½ teaspoon ground sage.)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 large plump cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup dry white wine or chicken or vegetable broth
15- ounce can pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie mix
14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth or more if needed to thin the dish as it cooks
1 ½ cups orzo
½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk or more vegetable broth
Fried sage leaves for garnish, optional (Can sub chopped fresh parsley.)
Grated Parmigiano-Regiano for serving or toasted breadcrumbs
Crushed red pepper for serving

Instructions

HEAT THE BUTTER in a 5-6-quart Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium flame. Add onion, celery, parsley, sage, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 5-10 minutes or until just beginning to soften. (The finished dish should have a little crunch from the vegetables.) Add garlic and wine. Cook, stirring, several minutes or until wine is reduced by half.
STIR IN pumpkin, tomatoes, and broth. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo and another ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook on low until pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes. While cooking, stir a time or two and add additional broth or water if mixture is too thick and orzo is not yet done. Turn off heat and stir in cream. Cover for a minute or two to heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.
SERVE HOT in warm bowls garnished with fried sage leaves, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, crushed red pepper, and another grind or two of fresh ground black pepper. Store leftovers well-covered in the fridge for 3 days. Heat gently over low flame, adding broth, cream, or water as needed. Do not freeze.