Creamy Pumpkin Bake

Creamy Pumpkin Bake

This one's a proper autumn showstopper and honestly one of our favourite things to make when the weather turns cold. There's something about layers of tender pumpkin and potato swimming in a rich, herby cream sauce that just feels like a big hug on a plate. The thyme and sage do something really special in there, and the whole thing goes golden and bubbling in the oven. We keep coming back to this one because it looks impressive but it's genuinely not that complicated. Make it tonight and you will not regret it.

Cook: 95 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking dish greased
  • Food processor (for walnuts)
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Mixing bowl
  • Colander
  • Ice water bath for potatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 pumpkin
  • 4 Maris Piper potatoes
  • 100g plant-based cheese
  • 2 tbsp plant-based butter
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs of sage
  • 250ml plant-based double cream
  • 100ml plant-based milk
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 200g plant-based cheese
  • 100g walnuts
  • 100g plain flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 100g plant-based butter

Method

1

Prep the veg

  • Peel and finely slice the onion
  • Peel and mince the garlic
  • Pick the thyme and sage leaves and finely chop
  • Peel and slice the potatoes into 0.5cm slices
  • Place the potatoes in ice water and set aside
  • Cut the pumpkin open and spoon out the seedy flesh
  • Slice into 1cm wedges
2

Make the cream sauce

  • Heat a saucepan over a medium heat with the butter
  • Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and starting to brown
  • Add the garlic and herbs cooking for 2 minutes
  • Pour in the cream, milk and nutritional yeast
  • Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp of cold water to make a slurry, then add to the pan
  • Bring to a gentle simmer, whisking to thicken slightly, then leave to infuse while you prepare the veg
3

Assemble and bake

  • Layer up the sliced potatoes, pumpkin and cheese in the baking dish, repeat until you have used all the veg
  • Pour the cream sauce
  • Cover and bake for 45 minutes while you make the crumble topping
4

Make the crumble

  • Finely chop or blitz the walnuts to a fine crumb
  • Place in a bowl with the flour, salt, nutritional yeast and butter, rubbing the mixture together with your fingers to resemble breadcrumbs
  • After 45 minutes, take off the lid and scatter over the crumble with a few leaves of sage
  • Return to the oven for another 25 minutes until golden and crispy

Tips & Variations

  • Get the slices even: Henry always uses a mandoline for the potato slices if he has one to hand. It makes a real difference to the final texture and means everything cooks at the same rate.
  • Swap the pumpkin: Ian's made this with butternut squash loads of times and it works just as well. Crown Prince pumpkin is also amazing if you can find it at a farmers market.
  • Make it extra golden: If you want a really crispy top, take the foil off for the last 15 minutes and crank the heat up a little. That caramelised edge is absolutely worth it.

Why This Works

The trick here is slicing the potatoes really thin and keeping them in ice water first, it stops them going brown and means they cook evenly through the bake. What really makes this sing is letting the onions properly soften before building the cream sauce, that's where all the sweetness comes from. Trust us on this one, don't rush that step.