Creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is the perfect weeknight comfort meal! Easy to make, comes together in 30 minutes, and packed with delicious pumpkin flavor.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
It’s officially comfort food season which means bring on all of the soup and pasta recipes! This creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is the perfect cozy recipe to make this week when you want something hearty and delicious.
It combines the delicious sweet flavor or pumpkin puree with savory parmesan to create the perfect flavored sauce.
For this recipe I used real, wheat rigatoni and shaved parmesan. If you have gluten and/or dairy intolerances, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta, and add in your favorite dairy-free cheese.
I mixed in spinach for a boost of added greens, and topped my dish off with crushed pecans for an added crunch.
Ingredients in pumpin pasta sauce
Pumpkin pasta sauce has many variations, and can be seasoned to your liking with different spice combinations.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Pumpkin puree
Tomato paste– just a tablespoon for added flavor!
Vegetable broth or pasta water– pasta water will help thicken the sauce while vegetable broth adds in some more flavor. Feel free to use a mix of both!
Milk of choice– you can use dairy milk, or any plant-based milk thats unflavored and unsweetened
Shaved parmesan– for added cheesiness and flavor
Onion and garlic– the dynamic duo in any recipe
Salt, nutmeg and optional red chili flakes for your spices. I’ve also made this using a pinch of pumpkin pie spice and it was delicious!
This delicious, creamy pumpkin pasta sauce will satisfy all of your comfort food needs. It’s ready in 30 minutes, and packed with all the warm flavors- you truly can’t go wrong.
I can’t wait for you guys to try it!
Recipes to try with your leftover pumpkin puree:
Gluten-free Pumpkin Cake Donuts
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread with a Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz pasta, I used rigatoni
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup pasta water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan, plus more to top
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 3/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
- Pinch of nutmeg (about 1/8 tsp)
- 1 tsp flour or tapioca flour
- Optional: 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- Top with: shaved parmesan, crushed pecans
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook your pasta al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, heat the butter on medium heat and saute the diced onion until soft, for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 1 minute. Next add in the tomato paste, pumpkin, and spices and stir together.
- Whisk the tapioca flour into the milk, and pour it into the pot with the pasta water. Whisk together until smooth and add in the parmesan. Let it cook down for 3-4 minutes on medium/low heat.
- Add in the spinach and pasta, and let it simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Serve fresh with shaved parmesan and crushed pecans.
I made this recipe and it was delicious. I made a couple of slight changes in that I used roasted cubed butternut squash, which I pureed in the food processor, and I added some sauteed mushroom.
I love the addition of butternut squash and mushrooms!