Baked in the oven with mozzarella until bubbly and golden and then topped with fresh basil, this pasta dish is a crowd-pleaser. Don’t forget the simple but sensational salad, lightly dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. Cook, relax and enjoy!

What we send: 2 cloves garlic
fresh basil sprigs
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
15 oz can pumpkin purée
12 oz ziti
8 oz fresh mozzarella
1 head Boston lettuce
1 lemon
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
sugar

Equipment: large skillet
zester
large pot
colander

Recipe steps: 1. Prep ingredients
Preheat oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel and finely chop garlic. Remove basil leaves from stems then finely chop stems.

2. Sauté garlic and basil
   Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven proof skillet over medium. Add garlic and basil stems and sauté until barely golden, about 2 minutes.

3. Make sauce
   Add tomatoes, ½ cup water and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin purée and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Cook pasta
   Meanwhile, cook pasta until barely al dente, about 5 minutes, drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add pasta and pasta water to sauce in skillet.

5. Finish pasta
   Tear basil leaves and stir into pasta. Season with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Tear mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the top. Bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes.

6. Make salad
   Meanwhile, cut off lettuce core and separate into leaves (removing any wilted outer leaves). Zest and juice lemon and whisk together with a pinch of sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss with lettuce leaves. Enjoy!