The best pumpkin pasta sauce I’ve ever had.
This is the most incredible pumpkin pasta sauce. Wow. It comes together as quickly as it takes for noodles to boil so make this when you’ve only got twenty minutes to spare and want comfort food. Full of pumpkin puree, chopped fresh sage, parmesan, cinnamon, cream cheese, and cayenne, this dish is everything I want in a fall dinner!
Let’s get one thing clear: pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients and was long before it was trendy. I’ve always loved pumpkin pasta and have made dozens of different recipes over the years. The other day when I was sick and rummaging through the kitchen and I locked eyes with leftover pumpkin puree and a block of cream cheese and thought, “I can work with that.” I went rogue and just started throwing things in a saucepan (luckily I measured as I went just in case it was amazing) and voila, the most incredible pumpkin pasta.
I didn’t plan on posting this recipe. I was sick. I was making dinner. I did not stage a whole glamorous photo shoot but I did go ahead and snap some stovetop photos for you because this recipe needed to be shared and enjoyed. It’s so good that at 9 pm I actually considered getting a second plate of pasta instead of dessert and I’m a major dessert person.
This pumpkin sauce is rich, creamy, earthy from the fresh sage, and a little spicy from the cayenne. It’s the perfect combination of things. I will be making this all fall and winter, especially since I always have the ingredients on hand! I hope you *fall* in love with this recipe as much as I have.
Easy Pumpkin Pasta
Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side dish
1 lbs dried pasta
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp cream cheese
1 cup pumpkin purée
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch grated nutmeg
Cayenne to taste (I did two shakes)
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, melt butter in large sauce pan. Stir in garlic and cook over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Turn heat to low. Whisk in cream cheese, pumpkin, and milk until cream cheese is melted. Whisk in Parmesan cheese. This will take a few minutes. Cook the sauce low and slow until parmesan is fully incorporated into the sauce.
- Season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. (Side note: Keep fresh nutmeg in the house. It keeps forever and it adds so much to savory dishes.) Add cayenne to taste. Stir in chopped sage.
- Drain pasta. Add pasta to sauce, stirring to coat. The pasta sauce will thicken as you stir. Top with more parmesan and chopped sage if desired.
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Enjoy pumpkin season,
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Where in the recipe does it say to add the pumpkin purée?
Yikes, thank you for catching that! I have updated. You add it with the cream cheese and milk.