Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the diced pumpkin onto a tray lined with parchment. Drizzle with a little maple syrup, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Roast in your preheated oven for 35 minutes until tender and slightly caramelised.

Heat the oil in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole or frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min more. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. If serving with diced chorizo or pancetta, fry this now and leave to one side.

Tip the roasted pumpkin into a blender (or use a hand blender). Blitz with a little milk and the cooked onions until completely smooth, gradually adding more milk until the mixture is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon (you may not need all the milk). Tip into a large frying pan with the tomato purée and mascarpone, and bring to a simmer over a low heat.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan and a splash of the reserved water to loosen. Season and scatter with extra parmesan. If you cooked diced chorizo or pancetta, reheat before scattering over the top.