It’s Fall, y’all! Whip up a batch of this creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce to make pumpkin pasta, topped with walnuts, parmesan and fresh sage, in just 30 minutes! It’s as delicious as our Butternut Squash Ravioli.
The Best Type of Pasta
Use any noodle that is designed to hold sauce: fusilli (pictured), penne, fettuccine, rotini or bowtie all work well. You can even use whole wheat pasta if that’s your jam.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
This pumpkin pasta sauce recipe takes only 30 minutes to prepare. It is best to serve as soon as you finish making it for the best texture. This sauce does thicken as it sits, so keep some reserved pasta water handy to thin, if needed.
Please note, we have not tested this recipe with any low fat or no fat dairy options (think skim milk, light Cream Cheese, etc.). If you opt to make it with a low fat version, leave a comment and let us know how it went! Some pasta recipes taste great with it and others not so much.
Use any leftover pumpkin puree, to make Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, or Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese! Any of these pumpkin recipes would make a great dessert pairing with this pumpkin pasta sauce recipe!
How To Make
Pumpkin pasta sauce is surprisingly easy to make, considering the final flavor and texture of the dish.
Boil the Noodles – Boil the noodles in salted water to al dente.
Make The Roux – This is the foundation of a creamy sauce. You’ll brown the butter and flour together before adding the onions and garlic to soften.
Add the Milk – Add the milk and let the sauce thicken, before adding the rest of the ingredients. This step can’t be rushed or else you’ll have a runny sauce.
Add the Rest of the Ingredients – Whisk in the pumpkin, cream cheese and spices.
Add the Noodles – Gently toss the noodles with the creamy sauce! Taste and adjust any spices.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Add In Ideas
Bulk up dinner recipes with pumpkin sauce with any of the below:
- Chopped Walnuts
- Italian Sausage
- Chicken
- Spinach
- Kale
- Burrata
- Fresh Mozzarella, Torn
Expert Tips
- Here’s a list of pumpkin pie spice substitutes, as well as a recipe for a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend, if you don’t have any on hand.
- Make sure to only cook the pasta to al dente. You won’t want mushy pasta shells.
- Use water or stock if you forgot to reserve pasta water and you wish to thin the sauce.
- Use a large stockpot or dutch oven. Once you add the cooked noodles to the cream sauce, you’ll wish you had more room!
- You can freeze this dish, however dairy generally does not freeze well. As such, changes to the texture will occur.
Pumpkin Ravioli Sauce
Many of you have written in to ask for a pumpkin sauce to pair with ravioli. This is it! No edits are required. Just cook the ravioli in place of the noodles.
Storage
Store pumpkin pasta sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, just add a splash of liquid (milk/water/heavy cream) and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and repeat, until warm throughout.
Drink Pairings
Our favorite wines to pair with creamy pasta with pumpkin sauce recipe: Dry Chenin Blanc, Dry Riesling, Grüner Veltliner or Viognier.
Whip this up for dinner while you’re waiting for a batch of Pumpkin Dump Cake to finish baking for dessert.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz Pasta (*Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Diced Onion
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 oz Full-fat Cream Cheese
- ⅛ tsp Cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp Nutmeg
- 3 tbsp Chopped Fresh Sage, Divided (*Note 2)
- ¼ tsp Salt, + More, To Taste (*Note 3)
- Black Pepper, To Taste
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup Chopped Walnuts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water and 1 tbsp of kosher salt to a boil. Cook the macaroni according to the "al dente" directions on the back of the box. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking constantly until it turns light golden brown.
- Add the onions and continue to whisk until softened (approx. 2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisking constantly, add the vinegar and milk, a little at a time. Increase the heat to medium high, and cook for 7-9 minutes, until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Keep whisking to avoid burning.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, half the chopped sage leaves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until the cream cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Taste and add salt and black pepper as desired.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and gently toss to combine. For a thinner sauce, add some of the reserved pasta water until your desired consistency is achieved.
- Top with walnuts, parmesan and the remaining sage. Serve immediately for best texture.