Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin, Tomatoes and Bacon

Method

1. Heat your oven to 230°c.
2. In a roasting pan, pour 2 tablespoons of oil and stir in pumpkin cubes. Toss to coat with oil and roast quickly while making the sauce (about 20 minutes). Stir occasionally.
3. To make the sauce, heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and saute the onion till soft. Then add garlic and bacon, chopped in small pieces. Stir frequently to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Add tomatoes, sugar and basil or pesto and season to taste.
4. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti. When the water is boiling add 2 teaspoo salt and a splash of oil to the water. The salt not only improves the flavour it adds buoyancy, preventing the pasta from sinking to the bottom. The little dash of oil keeps the pasta slipping through the water, so it is less likely to clump together and cooks more evenly.
5. Add the dried pasta and boil until al dente. Gently fold the roasted pumpkin into the sauce and toss through the pasta. Pile on the plates and garnish with parmesan and basil.