One bite of this creamy, flavorful Pumpkin Pasta and you’ll be dreaming about it every day afterwards. This rich, herb-infused, pumpkin alfredo sauce coats the thick, al-dente fettuccine noodles perfectly, and comes together in under 30 minutes. Topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese, this restaurant-quality pasta will be the highlight of your weekly dinners.
Reasons You’ll Love This
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce – This pumpkin alfredo sauce perfectly balances sweet, savory, nutty, and herby flavors in one.
Pumpkin Dinner – You often see pumpkin in baked goods, but hardly in dinner recipes like this one!
Incredible Taste – For those pumpkin skeptics out there, don’t worry. The fragrance of the pumpkin mellows out with the cream, and helps accentuate the flavor of every ingredient.
Easy to Make – This Pumpkin Alfredo is a unique dinner that doesn’t take hours to make. Only 30 minutes, and a few dishes.
Pumpkin alfredo sauce you say? Count me in! When I say I love pumpkin everything, I mean everything! Including the savory dishes. If you’re curious about how to make this pumpkin pasta recipe, and wondering if you’ll like it, there’s only one way to find out. Join me in making this fantastic fall dinner!
Ingredient Info
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Fettuccine Noodles – Fettuccine is classic, but use whatever pasta noodle you’d like.
- Pumpkin – Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
- Cream – Heavy cream is ideal for Alfredo sauce. For a non-dairy version, use coconut milk.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan cheese will melt the best.
- Pumpkin Seeds – You can also use pepitas.
Step by Step Instructions
This is a discussion about the recipe. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Cook pasta and reserve pasta water. In a skillet, toast pumpkin seeds.
- Remove and reserve seeds then melt the butter and sauté the sage leaves. Remove and save for later.
- In the same skillet add garlic and diced sage. Sauté then add pumpkin and cream. Stir and simmer til thick.
- Sprinkle in parmesan, and spices. Stir then add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Toss until evenly coated. Serve with toppings and enjoy!
Tips & Advice
Christi Kitchen Tips
Let’s Talk Toppings!
Everything is about protein these days, so adding some grilled chicken, shrimp, turkey, or salmon on top would be a great way to add more nutrition to this dish.
You can also add a handful of spinach or broccoli to the sauce for some extra veggies.
If you’re not a fan of pumpkin seeds, you can toast some breadcrumbs and add it to the top of this dish for added texture.
Storage – Store the leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. Reheat in the microwave, or over low heat on the stove with a little bit of milk or cream. Store the toppings in a separate container(s).
Vegan Option – This can be made vegan if you swap the cream for coconut milk, butter for vegan butter, and parmesan for vegan parm.
Equipment
Here are a few things you’ll need to succeed with making this Pumpkin Pasta!
FAQs
I will leave it up to you to decide what is healthy for your body. Pumpkin itself is really good for you. It’s got lots of antioxidants. If you’re looking for ways to sneak veggies into your food, this is a great start.
Canned pumpkin is usually just 100% pure pumpkin that has been pureed. Pumpkin filling is meant for pumpkin pies, and often contains sugar, and other ingredients used to sweeten the mixture.
Serves Well With
If you’re looking for some striking side dishes to pair with this Pumpkin Pasta, here are a few options I think would compliment this dish well. I hope you check them out!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sage leaves finely diced
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Topping Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 6 whole sage leaves
- shredded parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Salt and boil water in a pot, and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water then drain.
- In a separate, large skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds. Remove from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, melt the butter then add the whole sage leaves. Let that fry for 20-30 seconds, then remove them from the pan and save them on a paper towel lined plate for later.
- To the skillet, add the minced garlic and diced sage. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin puree and heavy cream. Stir until combined. Let that simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle in parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Let that cook until the cheese has melted and you have a smooth, even sauce.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the pasta water. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Dish out your servings of pasta, and top each serving with some toasted pumpkin seeds, the roasted sage leaves, and more parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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