Autumn recipe: pumpkin parmigiana

One of autumn’s star vegetables, pumpkin takes center stage with its sweetness, incredible tenderness, and remarkable versatility. With its extraordinary flexibility, it’s perfect for preparing a wide range of recipes, often unexpected and always surprising, bringing its distinctive flavor to our tables along with a truly unique splash of color!

Today’s featured recipe is a perfect example of this: a tasty, cheesy pumpkin parmigiana. With a couple of ingredients and a few simple steps, you can serve your guests a delicious fall dish chock full of seasonal flavor.

Pumpkin parmigiana recipe: Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 medium-sized pumpkin
• sliced cooked ham
• sliced provola cheese
• flour (as needed)
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to taste
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• rosemary

Directions

Cut the pumpkin into slices about 5 mm thick. Dredge the slices in flour, and arrange them in a non-stick baking dish sprinkled with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil.

Begin building up the layers typical of a parmigiana: add the slices of ham on top of the pumpkin, then the slices of provola cheese, a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano, and a pinch of salt. Continue layering in this manner until all of the ingredients are used up.

Top with rosemary and a bit of pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Bake at 200 °C (392 °F) for about 30–40 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft and the top is golden brown.

Serve after letting it cool down, or better yet, after letting it rest for a while: this lets the ingredients and flavors blend together perfectly.

Vegetarian pumpkin parmigiana: possible alternatives

If you want to make a vegetarian pumpkin parmigiana, simply leave out the ham and use a cheese with a stronger flavor profile than provola, such as scamorza or another type of smoked cheese. You can also add some mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, parsley, and garlic, which are also typical fall flavors.

This way, the dish will retain its savory flavor, and will be just as eye-catching!

Enjoy your meal!