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If you are craving an easy, cozy pasta dinner filled with the flavors of fall, this Pumpkin Pasta is for you. With rich brown butter, canned pumpkin puree, tender noodles, and earthy sage, this recipe is nutty, creamy, and surprisingly delicious.
Why you will love this Pumpkin Pasta: Quick to prep, simple ingredients, and unexpectedly delicious.
Kristen's Keys for Pumpkin Pasta
After enjoying pasta with a cheesy, savory pumpkin pasta sauce at a local restaurant, I knew I had to recreate this dish to share with you. But before we get started, let me share a few tips I learned through trial and error so you can experience success the very first time.
- Brown butter is key. Brown butter brings rich, nutty depth to the pumpkin pasta sauce and takes just minutes to make.
- White wine adds complex depth. While you can omit the white wine, the wine's acidic notes helps to balance richness.
- Use canned pumpkin puree. Homemade pumpkin puree is much thinner and needs to be simmered to create a rich, luxurious sauce. A can of pumpkin puree makes this recipe a weeknight winner.
- Toppings further elevate this pumpkin pasta. Finish with fresh herbs for freshness, cheese for a creamy finish, and nuts or seeds for a satisfying crunch.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
How to Make Pumpkin Pasta
The star of this simple pasta dinner is the pumpkin pasta sauce. While incredibly easy to make, think of this step-by-step section as me helping you through the process.
- Bring Water to a Boil. Before beginning the pumpkin pasta sauce, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, heavily salt, drop in the pasta of your choice, and then begin preparing the sauce so everything comes together at once.
What Pasta is Best?
Opt for pasta that the sauce can cling to. Those with broad surfaces, like fettuccine or pappardelle, OR nooks and crannies, like cavatappi, rigatoni, or penne.
- Brown Butter. If you have ever browned butter before (like say when making blondies), you know it is exceptionally easy to do. Simply, melt butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam, whisk often and continue to cook until the butter smells nutty and is golden. We are only using a small amount, so it won't take long.
Tip from Kristen
If you are a beginner cook, it may be easier to use a light colored pan to prepare the pumpkin pasta sauce. You will be actually able to see the butter turn golden brown and little brown flecks on the bottom of the pan, instead of just relying on the smell.
- Toast Spices. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and sage (or another fresh herb) to toast briefly.
- Add Wine. Whisk in the white wine (or additional broth) and let simmer to reduce.
- Add Pumpkin Puree and Broth. Add the vegetable broth and pumpkin puree, whisking to incorporate. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let simmer over low heat until the pasta has finished cooking.
Note on Seasoning
I like to go heavy on pepper and light on salt. After adding the pasta and cooking liquid you can add additional salt if needed.
- Drain Pasta. Before draining the pasta, grab about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Finishing the pumpkin pasta sauce with a bit of the starchy cooking liquid, will help the sauce adhere to the pasta and further season the sauce.
- Add Pasta. Add the cooked pasta, along with a couple tablespoons of the cooking liquid to the prepared sauce. Toss to combine, adding more of the reserved cooking liquid to thin if needed.
- Top and Serve. Remove from the pasta from the heat. Top with fresh sage, crumbled goat cheese, and chopped walnuts.
Recipe Notes and Modifications
- Add cream. With the brown butter, I find no cream is needed to create a rich sauce. That said, feel free to swap out the broth for heavy cream to create a creamy pumpkin sauce that is reminiscent of alfredo sauce.
- Don't care for sage? Swap it out for fresh rosemary leaves, fresh oregano, or fresh thyme leaves.
- Cheese: Finishing the sauce with cheese is optional, but encouraged. While goat cheese adds a tangy, creamy finish that compliments the pumpkin and sage, feel free to add crumbled feta or grated parmesan cheese instead.
- Nuts/Seeds: Optional but added for texture and a bit of flavor. Chopped pecans, walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, and/or pepitas are all delicious options.
- Gluten-Free? Toss the pumpkin pasta sauce your favorite gluten-free pasta.
- Add protein: To turn this pasta into a heartier meal, add diced cooked chicken or cooked sausage--sage or apple maple sausage are fantastic here.
More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
While you may think of pumpkin as being suited to sweet dishes (hello pumpkin muffins and pumpkin roll), it is also delicious in savory dishes as this pumpkin pasta proves. But beyond pasta, put a spin dinner using one of the following savory recipes made with canned pumpkin puree:
- Cheese Quesadillas--shocking but works!
- Bean Burritos--helps to tame down the spice.
Pumpkin Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 leaves sage, cut into ribbons + more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup dry white wine, or additional broth
- ¾ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- salt and pepper to taste
- crumbled goat cheese, parmesan, chopped walnuts or pepitas, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until light brown and nutty smelling, about 2-4 minutes. Stir garlic, sage, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly.
- Add in dry white wine and let simmer for 1 minute, slightly reducing.
- Add vegetable broth and pumpkin puree, whisking to incorporate. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until your pasta is ready to be drained and added to the sauce.
- Add cooked pasta to the pumpkin sauce, along with 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking pasta water. Toss to coat, adding more water as needed to loosen. Give the pasta a taste and add additional salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Serve with crumbled goat cheese, sage ribbons, and toasted pumpkin seeds and/or chopped walnuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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