Instructions

1. Cut the pumpkin into irregular pieces. Assunta cut them into little half moon, which I tried to emulate. What you’re aiming for is lots of different shapes and sizes, but they should all be about 1 to 1 and a half inches big. Eliminate the skin.
2. Heat a saute pan big enough to hold everything over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot,add the onions and celery. Add salt and pepper and stir. Let cook until the vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes or so. Don’t let it brown.
3. Add the garlic and sage and let cook another five minutes.
4. Add the pumpkin, stir and add about a cup of water. Continue cooking, adding a bit more water if necessary, until the pumpkin is almost cooked. Remember, you aren’t looking for mush here. You still want the pumpkin to have some bite to it, which you’re probably not used to. Think of it more like zucchini than pumpkin. This should take about 25 minutes or so.
5. When it’s about 10 minutes away from being done, add the beans and stir. You can add a bit more water and let it simmer away. The point here is to meld the flavors a bit.
6. This is great as a side dish, but is hearty enough to form the main part of a vegetarian meal.