Creamy Pumpkin Pasta - The Best Fall Pasta You'll Ever Have
My Creamy Pumpkin Pasta is loaded with Fall flavor! Al dente pasta is tossed with a creamy blend of pumpkin, onion, sage, and nutmeg and finished with Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted pecans. This simple Fall pasta couldn't be any easier!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound tortiglioni can sub ziti, penne, or rigatoni
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon minced sage plus whole leaves for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus more for serving
- 2 cups reserved pasta water for thinning, will most likely not need all of it
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- sugar optional, see notes below
Instructions
- Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes or until they begin to take on a stronger nutty flavor. Remove the pecans to a plate and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat and add the butter and onion along with a pinch of salt.
- One the onion turns soft and translucent, add the pumpkin puree and cook for 2 minutes stirring to incoporate. Add the cream, nutmeg, and sage and bring to a simmer. Begin boiling the pasta at this time, cooking to 1 minute less than al dente.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste then turn the heat to low.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the pasta to the pan and mix well to coat. Cook until the pasta reaches a perfect al dente then remove the pan from the heat and mix in the grated parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it up with the reserved pasta water, a 1/4 cup at a time.
- Taste test and make final adjustments to salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Sprinkle the pecans on top and garnish with sage leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pumpkin puree and sugar. This recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree has far less sugar than canned pumpkin pie mix. Depending on the brand of pumpkin puree, you might need to add a touch of sugar.
- Cream. You can omit the cream, just use more pasta water.
- Sage. This recipes uses minced sage and sage leaves for garnish. If you would like to garnish with fried sage leaves simply fry the leaves in olive oil for a few seconds per side and drain on paper towels.
- Pasta water. Use the reserved pasta water to thin out the pasta if it is too thick or dries out. Just add a couple of ounces at a time to get a perfectly creamy consistency.
- Leftovers. Creamy pumpkin pasta can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a pan over medium heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 966kcal | Carbohydrates: 107.2g | Protein: 27.2g | Fat: 50.7g | Saturated Fat: 20.7g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 265mg | Fiber: 10.6g | Sugar: 14.4g | Calcium: 284mg | Iron: 7mg
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