Pumpkin Pasta

This Pumpkin Pasta is the ultimate comforting fall-time meal! It’s rich and creamy with the best crunchy topping.

Love savory pumpkin dishes? Then you’ve got to try our Pumpkin Soup (made with a can of pumpkin).

What Does Pumpkin Sauce Taste Like?

This sauce has all the comforting elements of a big bowl of Mac and Cheese, but with a heartier, earthier flavor. It tastes like fall in a bowl! 

Easy Pumpkin Pasta

While I typically enjoy canned pumpkin in all sorts of sweet applications (I mean, can you really beat these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?!), there aren’t too many fall dishes that can compete with this creamy Pumpkin Pasta.

It’s rich and indulgent-tasting and perfectly hits all the fall-flavor cravings. And the crunchy topping? Unreal! This pasta with pumpkin sauce is a must-make recipe this fall!

Bonus: This pasta dish is so quick and easy to make! The pumpkin pasta sauce only requires a handful of ingredients and can be ready to go by the time the pasta is done boiling. So let’s talk about the Pumpkin Pasta sauce.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Ingredients

• Butter. If you want to cut out a bit of fat here, replace the butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Onion and garlic. These two ingredients infuse the sauce with a nice savoriness. We’ve also tried this dish with thinly sliced shallots instead of a red onion and loved that!
• Canned pumpkin puree. That’s right — no need to roast a pumpkin; this dish is all about being quick and easy! 
• Chicken broth. The broth makes the sauce stretch further so we can use less cream.
• Heavy cream. The cream makes this dish rich and creamy — it’s a key ingredient to making the best Pumpkin Pasta! Half and half or milk won’t thicken the same.
• Parmesan cheese: For the perfect melt and to ensure the measurement is accurate (so the dish isn’t too salty), use a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it on the small holes of your cheese grater. Measure and add!

What Is Pumpkin Pasta Made Of?

Beyond the sauce itself, we’ve got the pasta and the crunchy topping. The topping is optional, but if you have the time, it’s such a wonderful accompaniment to the Pumpkin Pasta. It’s infused with a lovely sage flavor that complements the pumpkin in the pasta so nicely. The crunch adds a nice textural contrast as well.

While pretty much any type of pasta will work, we love using one with plenty of nooks and crannies to soak up that luxurious pumpkiny sauce!

What Canned Pumpkin To Use

Make sure to use the right type of canned pumpkin. Pumpkin pie mix contains cooked, pureed pumpkin PLUS milk, sweetener, and spices. It’s ready to pour in a pie shell and bake. This is not what we want. Look for 100% pure cooked and pureed pumpkin.

The ingredient list should show only pumpkin puree. We love Libby’s® canned pumpkin (not sponsored).

How To Make Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Tossing the hot pasta with the sauce is called emulsifying and that’s how you get a wonderfully smooth and flavorful sauce that clings to the pasta instead of falling to the bottom of the pot! (More details here.)

If the pasta absorbs too much liquid, we add a splash of reserved pasta water. This can help loosen the sauce so you don’t have a dry pasta dish.

What Goes Well With Pumpkin Pasta Sauce:

• A big fall salad like this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad or Butternut Squash Salad
• A hearty chunk of bread to sop up leftover sauce (we’re partial to this No-Knead Bread or these Dinner Rolls)
• Some Roasted Vegetables (for balance) — Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Cauliflower

Use Leftover Pumpkin In One Of These Dishes:

• Pumpkin Bars with a cream cheese frosting
• Pumpkin Pie Recipe with a “secret” ingredient that takes it to the next level!
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
• Pumpkin Muffins bakery-style!
• Pumpkin Bread or this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

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5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Pasta

By Chelsea Lords

This Pumpkin Pasta is indulgently creamy with a delicious crunchy topping that makes it truly irresistible.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Medium pan non-stick

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup finely diced red onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 (16-ounce) package rotini pasta
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin see note 1
• ▢ 1 cup chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese see note 2
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Topping

• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 sprigs fresh sage leaves optional
• ▢ 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

• In a medium non-stick pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and stir for 30 seconds. Add in panko, season with a tiny pinch of salt, and cook. Stir constantly until nicely toasted and golden. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
  
• Immediately remove from heat and dump everything into a bowl to stop the cooking. Once it has fully cooled to room temperature, discard sage leaves and stir the Parmesan cheese through.
  
• Follow package directions to cook the pasta in well-salted water. I add 1 tsp fine sea salt to every 4 cups of water. Set aside a mugful of water before draining the pasta. Don't rinse pasta after draining.
  
• While the pasta is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of butter to a pot big enough to hold all the pasta. Heat to medium. Once melted, add in red onion and sauté until soft, about 3–5 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth and add pumpkin. Stir until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and slightly reduces (see note 3).
  
• Dump the drained pasta directly from the colander into the sauce and gently toss for about 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and nicely coats the pasta. It shouldn't be falling to the bottom of the pot. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of that reserved pasta water. Serve in bowls topped with a big handful of the crunchy topping and enjoy promptly!
  

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Recipe Notes

Note 1: Be sure to choose pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Also, be careful to only use 1 cup, not the whole can!

Note 2: Packaged grated Parmesan (in the can) is very salty and won't melt as nicely in this recipe. We highly recommend grating a block of Parmesan cheese on the small holes of the grater for ultra-fine cheese shreds. Alternatively, use finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Note 3: To know when your sauce has thickened, stir the sauce with a spoon, lift it up, and immediately trace a line across the back of the spoon with your fingertip. If the line remains visible, the sauce is perfect! If not, it needs to be cooked a little longer.

Storage: You can definitely store leftovers, but you may need to add a bit more heavy cream or chicken broth to loosen the sauce when reheating. While the pasta will be softer, it will still pack plenty of flavor. Keep in mind that due to the pasta and dairy, this dish isn’t ideal for freezing and thawing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 607kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7329IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 229mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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