Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Creamy pumpkin pasta is a rich, velvety pasta dish made with a sauce that uses pumpkin puree as the base instead of (or along with) traditional cream or tomato sauces. It’s popular in fall but delicious year-round because it’s comforting, flavorful, and surprisingly simple to prepare.
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Course: Health and Diet, Recipes4
servings15
minutes35
minutes300
kcalEnjoy the flavours of autumn with this rich and velvety pumpkin pasta. Blending cooked pumpkin with mascarpone, parmesan, and a touch of tomato purée creates a silky sauce that pairs perfectly with short pasta shapes.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g pumpkin or squash, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
50–100ml whole milk
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp mascarpone
350g short pasta (such as rigatoni or penne)
40g grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative, plus extra for topping
Directions
- Cook the aromatics
- Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow casserole over medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 10–15 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and sauté for another minute. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Make the pumpkin sauce
- Boil the pumpkin in salted water for 10–15 minutes until tender. Drain and transfer to a blender (or use a hand blender). Add 50ml milk and the cooked onions, blending until smooth. Add more milk as needed until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Pour the mixture into a frying pan, stir in the tomato purée and mascarpone, and gently heat until it simmers.
- Combine with the pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan, and 50–100ml of the reserved water to loosen the consistency. Season to taste and finish with extra parmesan before serving.
