Serves 4

500g penne pasta

½ Tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

50g coconut sugar or brown sugar

700g pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into small chunks (yielding about 500g chopped)

500ml vegetable stock

3-4 sprigs of thyme, leaves plucked from stems

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

To serve:

2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Parmesan cheese (or a vegan cheese alternative)

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then stir in the pumpkin.
3. Pour over the vegetable stock, sprinkle over the thyme leaves, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened and the pumpkin is tender, about 12-15 minutes. 
4. Add the cinnamon, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
5. To serve: divide penne into four pasta bowls, spoon over the pumpkin sauce, then using a vegetable peeler, add a few shavings of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with pine nuts and tuck in!