Pasta tossed in a velvety pumpkin sauce is truly a delicious meatless meal, best of all, it comes together in no time at all!
This creamy sauce proves that pumpkin can be used for more than pie! If you’ve got leftover puree in your freezer, this is the perfect way to enjoy it!
An Easy Pasta Sauce
The sauce is luscious and velvety and really easy to make (plus it’s a great way to use up pumpkin puree).
We love that this pasta sauce is a bit different from our usual cream or tomato-based pasta sauce recipe.
Ingredients and Variations
PUMPKIN Pumpkin is the star of this dish. If you don’t have pumpkin, any winter squash or even mashed sweet potato can be used.
Onions can be slowly caramelized for extra flavor.
HERBS Pumpkin has a deep sweet and savory flavor on its own and sage and thyme pair well with it.
SAUCE A bit of broth (don’t use low sodium) adds salt and gives the right consistency to this pumpkin sauce while the cream adds richness.
A scoop of ricotta can be spooned on top for serving or stirred in for an extra level of richness. Top with shredded Parmesan, or toss with tangy feta or goat cheese.
Other Tasty Additions
- Even though this recipe is meat-free, it’s easy to add cooked ground pork sausage, top with sliced grilled or roasted chicken, or mix in some bacon bits.
- Need a dairy-free version or a vegan version? No problem! Simply substitute the cream with your favorite non-dairy alternative and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
How to Make Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Here’s a quick overview of the steps to making creamy pumpkin pasta. For the full recipe, be sure to read to the bottom of the post.
- Cook onion & garlic. Stir in flour. Whisk in broth and cook until smooth.
- Stir in pumpkin puree and heavy cream and simmer.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Toss pasta with sauce, add pasta water to desired consistency. Top with shredded Parmesan and herbs.
How to Cook Perfect Pasta
These pasta tips work for any variety of pasta.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot, and use plenty of water (and stir often).
- Add salt to the water and add the pasta in the water once it reaches a rolling boil.
- Check for the desired doneness a little early, pasta will continue to cook as it is stirred with the hot sauce.
- Drain but do not rinse pasta, those starches help the sauce cling.
- Save some pasta water, it’s nice and starchy and will create the perfect consistency if your sauce needs thinning out.
Our Fave Pasta Dishes
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Pasta – one pot meal
- Pappardelle with Italian Sausage – fresh & flavorful
- Instant Pot Spaghetti – 8 minute cook time
- Cheesy Ham Casserole – home cooked comfort
- Quick and Easy Sausage Pasta – ready in 25 minutes
- Baked Feta Pasta – a vegetarian fave
Did you love this Creamy Pumpkin Pasta? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree canned or fresh
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 16 ounces rigatoni or medium pasta
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a saucepan, cook onion, garlic, sage, thyme, and chili flakes in butter over medium heat until tender.
- Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in broth a little bit at a time until smooth. Simmer 1 minute.
- Add pumpkin and heavy cream. Simmer uncovered until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta al dente in salted water according to package directions. Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Toss pasta with sauce, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed. Top with parmesan cheese and parsley.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
This recipe was so bland, no taste whatsoever of pumpkin. I was so disappointed because I was so looking forward to it I even added bacon and thank God I did because that was the only taste I had besides the Parmesan cheese.
Oh no Cheryl, how disappointing for you! We made this just last week, it’s one of our favorites. Pumpkin is a mild squash so the flavor is mild in this recipe. Thank you for trying it!
This was really delicious – and simple! I can’t get ground sage where I live so I used marjoram instead, and it came out great. For me, the little kick from the chili flakes took it to the next level. Will definitely be making this again soon!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Dee!
Delicious! Will be making this more. I added in a handful of spinach for added nutrients.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Valerie!
Loved it! I added some brown sugar and some extra garlic.
So glad you enjoyed it, Alena!
Just tried this. This hit the spot :)
So glad you loved it Tiffany!
I have never tried pumpkin pasta, thank you for the nice recipe!
Enjoy Violet!