A one-pot pumpkin orzo topped with a creamy fresh quenelle of cheese and fried sage leaves.
Crown Prince pumpkin is pan-fried to intensify and sweeten its flavour, then puréed. Toasted first in brown butter, the orzo introduces a rich, nutty element that blends with the earthy, sweet layers of the pumpkin purée.
The dish is finished with fresh cheese quenelles and fried sage leaves, adding tangy, herby notes that complement the warm flavours. This is your perfect, cosy autumn comfort food - made in a single pot for less washing up, with no oven required.
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Why You'll Love this Crown Prince Pumpkin Orzo
- Made with deliciously dense, sweet Crown Prince pumpkin, not generic pumpkin or canned puree. Pan-fried for extra flavour.
- The orzo is fried in brown butter, giving a nutty note to the flavour.
- No oven cooking required; the pumpkin is pan-fried.
- Made from beginning to end in one pot on the hob. Minimal cleanup and less washing up.
- Ideal weeknight meal, ready in under an hour.
Key Ingredients & Notes
- Crown Prince pumpkin - An excellent pumpkin to cook with, with sweet and dense flesh.
- Orzo - Looks like rice, but is a pasta made from durum wheat semolina. When it cooks in the vegetable stock, it absorbs the liquid and releases starch, giving this dish its creamy risotto-like texture.
- Brown butter - Made by cooking butter past its melting point until the milk solids toast and turn a brownish colour, giving it a nutty flavour. In this recipe, the orzo is initially fried in this brown butter.
- Garlic & white onion or shallots -This adds the second layer of flavour.
- Olive oil - Used to pan-fry the cubed pumpkin.
- Vegetable stock - Provides a savoury liquid for the orzo pasta to cook in and absorb.
- Fresh soft cheese - I use La Fresca Margarita, for its soft, creamy, fresh, zesty flavour and its pure white colour.
- Fried sage - As a garnish, gives a herby flavour note and a crispy texture contrast.
- Dried cherry tomatoes - An optional garnish.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Brown butter Crown prince Pumpkin Orzo with Fresh cheese
- Finely chop the garlic and white onion/shallots.
- Cut the crown prince pumpkin into small cubes (you can leave the skin on)
- Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the sage leaves. They will be quick to crisp. Be careful not to burn. Set them aside.
- In the same pan, add the diced pumpkin and fry until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes; a knife should pass through the dice easily.
- Remove from the pan and puree in a blender.
- In the same pan, melt the butter until it starts to foam, then turns brown.
- Add the white onion or shallots and sauté until soft.
- Add the garlic and fry for two minutes.
- Add the orzo pasta and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the pumpkin puree and vegetable stock and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the orzo pasta is al dente.
- To serve, garnish with the fried sage leaves, fresh soft-cheese quenelles, and, optionally, dried cherry tomatoes.
Substitutions & variations
- If you don't have access to crown prince pumpkin, I would use either Kuri, Delia or Hubbard pumpkin. You can even use butternut squash - it may need a longer fry to get the same browning before pureeing.
- You can replace the orzo with other small pasta shapes. I would suggest ditalini pasta or pastina, the star-shaped pasta. Check the packet for cooking times and make sure you cook it al dente.
- Gluten-free orzo is available. You may need slightly more liquid to cook it.
- You can use arborio rice, but that makes this a risotto and the amount of stock and cooking times will change.
- You can make this recipe vegan by using vegan block butter and a vegan cheese alternative. Be aware, though, that brown butter depends on the milk solids in the butter for browning and flavour.
- I use a specific brand of fresh cheese - La Fresca Margarita - it's an unripened cheese, meant to be eaten shortly after it is made. This brand is made in Somerset, UK, and you can order it online if you live in the UK. You can replace it with similar fresh cheeses, such as ricotta, burrata or a mild feta.
- If you can't find fresh sage, you can't replace it with another fried herb. For herby flavour notes, add a bit of thyme or rosemary while roasting the squash, then remove it.
- Shallots or white onion work in this recipe - both on the milder side, with shallots being the mildest and sweetest.
Equipment
For this pumpkin orzo you will need:
- A large pan. I use a Le Creuset shallow casserole.
- A stick or jug blender to blend the pan-fried crown prince pumpkin.
Storage
It's best eaten fresh; however, if you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. While reheating, add a bit of stock to thin it down. The orzo will be overcooked, however.
I don't recommend freezing the cooked orzo; you can, however, freeze the puree in an airtight container for up to three months.
recipe tips
- Use the same large pan; you don't need to wash it between each stage. What's left from each stage builds in some flavour.
- Cut the pumpkin into small (no bigger than 1 inch), even dice so they cook through at roughly the same time. Small so that they cook through more quickly. Fry to a golden brown colour for flavour (similar to roasting).
- Getting the brown butter right: heat on medium heat. The butter will melt - keep cooking it. It will foam, then the foam subsides, and brown flecks form at the bottom of the pan. Stir, and when it smells nutty and turns golden-amber, you can add the orzo.
- Frying the sage leaves - watch carefully; they crisp very quickly and, if over-fried, will turn bitter.
- For a clean quenelle, use two spoons dipped in warm water between scoops.
FAQ
No, you can leave the skin on. It is completely edible and will soften with cooking and puree just fine. Be sure to wash the pumpkin first, though, especially if it is store-bought.
A quenelle is a food-shaping technique that uses two spoons to form an elegant oval. Look at my video to see how I make them.
Pan-frying the diced pumpkin cooks it faster than oven roasting, making it a time-saving, one-pan recipe. Also, from a flavour point of view, it not only caramelises the surface, but also absorbs the nutty brown butter fat at the same time. Pan-frying retains more moisture in the pumpkin, lending itself to a smoother puree.
I don't recommend batch-cooking this pumpkin orzo as a finished dish. You can, however, make the pumpkin puree and freeze it, then use as required. You can also fry the sage leaves and store them in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
This shouldn't be an issue because you toast the orzo in butter before cooking it in the vegetable stock. This coats the orzo grains and helps prevent the gluiness that comes from surface starch being released into the cooking liquid and binding the grains together. Don't overcook the orzo; cook it al dente (it has bite).
📖 Recipe
Brown Butter Crown Prince Pumpkin Orzo with Fresh Soft Cheese
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Large shallow pan or pot
Ingredients
- 320 g Crown prince pumpkin
- 50 g Shallots
- 15 g Garlic
- 200 g Orzo pasta
- 400 ml Vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- 50 g Butter
- 5 g Sage leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- 100 g fresh soft cheese La Fresca Margarita (brand)
Instructions
- Wash the sage leaves and pat dry.
- Finely chop the shallots / white onion and garlic.
- Cut the crown prince pumpkin into small dice (no bigger than 1 inch).
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the sage leaves. Fry a couple at a time; they crisp up quickly. Be careful not to burn them.
- In the same pan, add the diced pumpkin and fry until golden brown on both sides. Once done, remove from the pan and puree.
- In the same pan, add the butter over medium heat. Melt it until it foams. The foam will reduce, and it will start to brown.
- Once the butter starts to brown, add the white onion or shallots and sauté until soft, then add the chopped garlic and fry for a minute or two. Then add the orzo and cook for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin puree, then add the vegetable stock and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving plate, add the soft cheese quenelle, fried sage leaves, and perhaps slow-dried cherry tomatoes (optional), and serve immediately.
More Pumpkin Recipes
The thing with pumpkins is that when you buy one, you almost always have leftovers from what you intended it for. Never fear, I have lots of pumpkin recipes for you to try. Here are a few:
food safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Cook food thoroughly to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
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