This fall inspired dish features the fruits of the season. Persimmon arugula pasta flavored with thyme, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheese.
I’m always curious about using fruits in savory applications.
I associate fruits with desserts: pies, tarts, quick breads and puddings.
My experience with persimmon has always been sweet: persimmon bread, persimmon cookies, persimmon gelato.
And then I thought, hey, why not cook it into a pasta dish?!
Savory Persimmon Pasta
Persimmons are my fruit of the moment.
Every time I go back home to visit my parents, my dad gives me a grocery bag full of the fruit.
I happily accept, especially because these babies go for up to $6 a pound at local farmers markets!
My dad has both the Fuyu (flat, tomato like in shape) and Hachiya (elongated like a giant acorn) variety.
Persimmons have a very delicate flavor.
I eat the Fuyu persimmon like an apple. I prefer to eat them firm, chilled, peeled, and cut into thick slices.
The Hachiya is better to puree and bake with. See: persimmon pecan bread and persimmon walnut bread
Fuyu persimmon are commonly used in autumn salads, but today I’m roasting it and tossing it into a cheesy pasta!
Cut the persimmon into cubes and coat with olive oil.
Seasoned with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a pinch of fresh thyme. Roast it like butternut squash.
Half an hour later, you will smell the sweet aroma of the persimmon baking away.
Rather than making a regular old mac-n-cheese, I put together all my autumn favorites– sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, arugula and persimmon.
This is my new go-to autumn pasta dish, especially because I still have pounds of persimmon waiting to be harvested at my parents’ house.
Autumn Persimmon Arugula Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz rigatoni
- 2 ½ cups firm Fuyu persimmon, , peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, , or ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 cup baby or wild arugula, , packed
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, , shredded
- kosher salt and black pepper,, to taste
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. In medium bowl, toss persimmon cubes with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and thyme. Toss to combine. Bake for 30 minutes until persimmon has softened slightly and can be easily pierced with a fork. Set aside and let cool.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni, or pasta or choice, to al dente according to package instructions. Before draining water, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add sliced onions. Cook until onions are almost translucent.
- Add arugula in two additions. Arugula will decrease in volume as it cooks. Cook until arugula begins to wilt.
- Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese and 3 Tbsp of parmesan cheese. Add roasted persimmon and cooked pasta. Toss to combine. The cheese will melt and get sticky. Add 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water to moisten pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to add reserved pasta water, 1 Tbsp at a time until pasta is well coated with the cheesy sauce.
- Serve immediately. Serve warm so cheese is ooey and gooey. If necessary, reheat over stove. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and remaining cheddar cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
An excellent recipe. I dont have an oven so I fried the persimmons with olive oil, pepper and thyme. The other change I would recommend is make the cheese sauce separately then mix with pasta and other ingredients then adding persimmons last
Thank you for trying the recipe! And, thank you for sharing your tip!
P.S. I cooked it all in an Instant Pot – first the squash, for about 6 minutes under pressure, then I sautéed the onions for about 20 – 30 minutes on medium heat. I pan roasted the persimmons, but I could have used the IP. I combined it all, and lastly added the arugula and cheeses. So good?
This was wonderful! I came out to California from New York, where I eat locally and seasonally. A friend gave me five persimmons. This is the first time I’ve had them. I used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and goat cheese and aged Gouda instead of Parmesan and cheddar. I didn’t have thyme, so I used dried oregano. I really enjoyed this meal and I’d happily eat it regularly!
Looks beautiful – I love it, must try it, I’d never thought of using persimmon like this.
You always have such beautiful food. Love it!
Thank you!! :)