Pumpkin-Stuffed Turnip-Ravioli with Pepita Pesto

Hey! Are y’all ready for the biggest ever pumpkin party on the internet?! 70+ bloggers are coming together today to share amazing recipes made with fall’s favorite fruit! Pretty much all the pumpkin dishes you could imagine are here – everything from pumpkin pancakes, to cookies, cake, milkshakes, soup, bagels, polenta, dog treats and more… waaaay more. It’s insane and kinda reminds me of this. Make sure to check-out the entire list of recipes at the bottom of this post! And follow along on social media with #virtualpumpkinparty. This ‘ravioli’ was my attempt at a little trick or treat bit. Or some of you may think of it as a cruel joke, like when you got one of those little boxes of raisins in your halloween bag, ugh, I hated that. But after a week of bingeing on office halloween candy (which I totally blame my parents for – they rationed that stuff so hard when we were kids) I was craving something bright, clean and fresh. Yeah, I’m pretty sure this tastes like something you would eat at one of those holistic wellness spa resort thingys (which I’m secretly intrigued about). The turnips get sliced super thin then blanched so they get all floppy like little noodles. The pumpkin filling tastes surprisingly rich and flavorful, thanks to a heavy dose of cashew creme (that stuff is pure magic and so easy to make!). And I’ve already made this pumpkin seed pesto twice since making it for this post – it’s the only way I want to eat my pesto for the foreseeable future. Of course if you don’t want to make noodles out of vegetables – which I totally get (both from a labor and taste perspective), you could just toss your favorite pasta with this pumpkin alfredo-y sauce – same goes for the pepita pesto for that matter. So many options, so much deliciousness, not enough days left in the season to eat all this goodness! Happy pumpkin party day my friends! AND a big thanks to Sara for hosting this amazing celebration!

Ingredients for the Pumpkin Filling

1 can of pumpkin puree  (store-bought or homemade)

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/4 cup of cashew cream (see recipe below)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

pinch of nutmeg

dab of vegan butter alternative like earth balance

Directions 

Melt the ‘butter’ in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and lightly toast / sauté until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cashew cream) and cook the moisture out so that pumpkin puree really thickens up (about 6 to 8 minutes). Add the cashew cream and stir well to combine.

Ingredients for the Cashew Cream

1/2 cup of cashews soaked overnight

2 to 3 tablespoons of water

Directions

Soak the cashews overnight. Just blend with a bit of water the next day to make the cream. Start with 2 tablespoons and work your way up to your desired sauciness. I like mine pretty thick. Leftover cream can be used in a smoothie, with granola or as a pancake topping. yum!

Ingredients for the Pepita Pesto 

1 small bunch of parsley

1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds (I used toasted and salted)

1 garlic clove

juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup or honey

Directions

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor. Salt to taste. Easy!

Assembly 

1 turnip

some greens for garnish

Slice the turnip super thin on a mandolin. Cut the slices into small circles using a little cookie cutter. Blanch the slices so they get all floppy like little noodles. Add a tablespoon of pumpkin filling in the center of each ‘noodle’, brush a little olive oil around the outer rim and press to seal. Serve with pesto and microgreens.

notes 

Inspired by a recipe in this book.

#VirtualPumpkinParty Posts!