Our pumpkin stew is fragrant and flavorful with savory guanciale, sweet Medjool dates, and tortellini pasta. This gorgeous, velvety stew is highly appealing and hard to stop eating. Try to resist consuming the whole pot, as it tastes even better the next day.
It’s a unique pumpkin stew in a one-pot meal, ready in thirty minutes.
If you love this pumpkin stew, you will also love this rustic galette with squash, butternut pasta, or red kabocha squash soup!
Why this recipe sings
Today’s pumpkin stew is a delicious meal made in just thirty minutes. Our traditional greek stuffing inspired the flavors. We had leftover ingredients after Christmas and decided to use them all by making this stew. The result was so successful we made it three times additional times that week, substituting ingredients to find out what worked best. It was easy to replace with a variety of pantry items. There is no extra salt used in this recipe. You can certainly tweak it to your liking. Just wait until the cooking is done. Broth and guanciale are salty items that will give flavor to this stew. Being cautious with salt will pay out.
Here is what you need
- Pumpkin. For faster dinners, I get the precut, already-steamed pumpkin at my local grocery store. You can certainly cook the pumpkin yourself. Great substitutes are butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
- Guanciale. It is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork cheeks. It is used in making authentic carbonara pasta. It has a strong flavor, but you can substitute it with pancetta or thick bacon for a milder result.
- Broth. Chicken or vegetable.
- Medjool dates. They are a large, sweet variety of dates from Morocco, but they grow in the US and other countries. These dates are luxurious and sweet with an intense caramel flavor. Suitable substitutes are dried figs, prunes, apricots, and raisins.
- Chestnuts. I love having precooked chestnuts in my pantry ready to use. Alternatively, you can use hazelnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
- Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.
- Fresh tortellini pasta. Fresh tortellini filled with prosciutto is my go-to, but other fillings will work just as well.
How to make this pumpkin stew
Your fantastic one-pan pumpkin stew is ready. Serve immediately with more parmesan on the table. It makes great leftovers; add a bit of broth or cream to the pan and warm up slowly on the stove.
Quick Pumpkin Stew with Tortellini
Ingredients
- 7 oz guanciale cubed
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
- 14 oz pumpkin diced and steamed
- 2½ cups chicken stock 500 ml
- 4 cup Medjool dates roughly chopped
- 10 chestnuts cooked, quartered
- 10 oz tortellini pasta filled with prosciutto or your favorite filling
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
Spices and herbs
- 2 rosemary sprigs just the leaves
- 2 fresh sage sprigs just the leaves roughly chopped
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Instructions
- Chop the guanciale into bite-size pieces. Next, chop the onion and garlic, and herbs. Finally, cut the chestnuts into four parts and chop roughly the Medjool dates.
- Place a medium-large pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the guanciale and cook until the edges have caramelized.
- Add the onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add the cubed pumpkin with the chopped herbs.
- Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes; pour in the stock. Add the chopped chestnuts and dates, stir and simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Follow with the heavy cream and parmesan, and tortellini. Cook in high medium heat until the tortellini is fully cooked, about five minutes.
- Serve in bowls with more grated parmesan.
Notes
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- Pumpkin. Great substitutes are butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
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- Guanciale. You can use pancetta or thick bacon.
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- Broth. Chicken, vegetable, it is all good.
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- Medjool dates. Good substitutes are dried figs, prunes, apricots, and raisins.
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- Chestnuts. Go for hazelnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
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- Fresh tortellini pasta. You can use dry tortellini. Add them to the pot 15 minutes after you start cooking. Watch the liquid; you might need to add a bit more water or broth. Most brands are ready in 10-12 minutes. Feel free to use your favorite filling.
Nutrition
I have a bag of frozen squash and was wondering what I would do with it. I think I have found the answer. This will be a hit for dinner tonight.
I made this pumpkin stew over the weekend for my hubby’s football watching and you weren’t lying when you said it was quick. The family loved it and asked me to add it to the meal rotation!
I need this stew so badly right now! It is a great warming dish that is just perfect for this time of the year!
Winter squash is among a favorite of mine to use during the winter months. This stew was quick and absolutely delicious. Making it again to freeze in smaller portions for work lunches.
Sweet, hearty and great comfort food. Thanks for another tasty recipe.
All I can say is WOW! This is a meal with nothing but flavor and texture explosions. We love pumpkin, and so excited about that guanciale! We’ll done and thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe yesterday and it came out amazing! My whole family loved it and asked to make it again next week 😉
I’m so intrigued by the dates in here! I’ve definitely got to try this soon. Pumpkin and tortellini sounds like a great combo!
I’d never heard of guanciale! I picked some up at the store today so I can give this a try. I know my whole family is going to adore it!
What a perfect dish for a chilly winter day. I love savory and sweet dishes like this one. It was so hearty and flavorful. I can’t to make it again.