Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
This creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is the perfect silky, smooth addition to your favorite pasta dish! Just mix together pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and a mix of sweet and savory fall spices like cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary, and sage to make this delicious sauce in no time.
I’m a sucker for an easy homemade pasta sauce that still tastes gourmet, and this creamy pumpkin pasta sauce hits the spot every time! It’s filled with gorgeous fall flavors like sweet cinnamon, warm cardamom, and toasted rosemary, with a hint of earthy sage, and it comes together in under 15 minutes, so you can have it finished by the time your pasta boils. This sauce pairs pairs perfectly with any type of pasta you like, and it’s the ultimate autumn dinner for date night, family dinner, or a solo meal–just scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people you’re cooking for!
Here are some more autumn pasta & sauce recipes you’ll love: Gorgonzola Truffle Cream Sauce with Mushrooms, Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi, and Pistachio Burrata Ravioli with White Wine Cream Sauce.
Ingredients & Equipment
You’ll need the following ingredients and equipment to make this creamy pumpkin pasta sauce:
- Large skillet
- Large saucepan
- Pasta
- Pumpkin puree
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Shallot
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Salt and pepper
- Shredded parmesan
Customize This Recipe!
There are a few different ways you can customize this recipe:
- Play with herbs and spices. You can make this pasta sauce more sweet or more savory depending on how much of the spices you use – add a bit more cinnamon for a sweeter flavor, or up the rosemary, salt, and pepper for a more savory taste.
- Add a protein. You can’t go wrong adding a protein to this pasta! I personally love ground beef (especially with a sweet & savory seasoning for autumn), but bacon or sausage would also be delicious.
Kitchen Tips:
- Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe – it will help save you time and keep you organized.
- Use a whisk to stir the sauce! It sounds unnecessary (and you can totally still use a spoon or spatula), but it really helps incorporate everything together without splashing the liquids around too much like a spatula can do.
FAQ
Any kind you like! I used paccheri, which is like an extra big rigatoni, but you can literally use any type of pasta you want, from shells to spaghetti to ravioli and more!
Yes! You can easily scale this recipe up or down depending on how many people you’re cooking for. For a big group of 6-8 people, I’d double the recipe; for two people, cut the heavy cream and pumpkin measurements in half; for single servings, use 1/3 cup pumpkin, about 1/4 cup heavy cream, and adjust the seasonings to personal taste!
This pasta is best served immediately after making, but you can also store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week and reheat in the microwave before eating.
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Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups pasta
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp rosemary
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cardamom
- ½ tsp sage
- 1 tsp salt add more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper add more to taste
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan
- ¼ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta boils, add butter and rosemary to a large skillet on medium-low heat and let the rosemary cook in the melted butter for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant and slightly browned.
- Add the pumpkin puree and mix into the melted butter, then stir in the heavy cream and seasonings until combined. Heat for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is done boiling.
- Save ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Stir in the pasta water to the sauce until combined, then transfer the pasta to the skillet and fold it into the sauce to coat the noodles evenly.
- Transfer the finished pasta to a serving dish, top with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Notes
- Utilize mise en place! Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before you begin making this recipe – it will help save you time and keep you organized.
- Use a whisk to stir the sauce! It sounds unnecessary (and you can totally still use a spoon or spatula), but it really helps incorporate everything together without splashing the liquids around too much like a spatula can do.
- Play with herbs and spices. You can make this pasta sauce more sweet or more savory depending on how much of the spices you use – add a bit more cinnamon for a sweeter flavor, or up the rosemary, salt, and pepper for a more savory taste.
- Add a protein. You can’t go wrong adding a protein to this pasta! I personally love ground beef (especially with a sweet & savory seasoning for autumn), but bacon or sausage would also be delicious.
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