Meatless Monday Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce
Monday, October 11, 2010 at 7:50AM 
Come fall, “make pumpkin pasta” automatically finds its way onto my “to do” list. I start craving it around Labor day, but make myself wait until the leaves begin to turn all kinds of fall colors and the air takes on that definite fall chill. Then I’m all over it.
Oh, this is good stuff, folks, and it just seemed like the perfect fall dish for Meatless Monday. I love pumpkin anything, but this may be my very favorite way to eat it. What we have here is a creamy pumpkin sauce spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and flecked with fresh sage. It shouldn’t, but it all just works together. Really well.
I’ve been making this for a few years now, and over time I’ve played with the flavors a little. Pumpkin has great flavor potential, but on its own it can be rather lacking. So I’ve bumped up the amount of spice and added goat cheese, which brings a lovely tang to the party. I’ve cut back on the broth, which further concentrated the flavors, and added some kick with a little crushed red pepper. With a light dusting of grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of fresh sage, our mousy pumpkin pasta took on some attitude! Here’s the recipe….
Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce
Click here for a printable recipe
1 pound campanelle or penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 to 3 oz goat cheese
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper (or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoon of chopped fresh sage
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, crushed red pepper (if using), and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, salt, pepper and cream. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk in the goat cheese and 1 tablespoon of the fresh sage. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Can add a little of the Parmesan cheese here if you like.
Toss the pasta with the sauce, cover and let sit off the heat for 5 minutes or so. Place in a serving bowl and top with the remaining fresh sage and a good dusting of the Parmesan cheese. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese at the table.
Reader Comments (17)
Your adventure in moving from California (where I grew up) to the Midwest is such a good read. So glad I stumbled upon your blog, and I intend to return often for your delicious recipes and fascinating writing. In the meantime, take care. Be back soon.
Thank so much, Bonnie, and welcome to Circle B Kitchen! Look forward to hearing from you again.
Wow this looks so delicious!! I'm going to have to make this one of these days... I've never had pumpkin pasta sauce, but this sounds intriguing and looks amazing!
Hope you give it a try, Louisa. It really is GOOD!
Thanks for creating this. (You had me at red pepper flakes.) It's fantastic - a restaurant quality dish in less than 30 minutes.
Thanks, Catherine. The crushed red pepper flakes really make this special. We love it! Thanks for stopping in!
Oh wow, this looks delicious! I have a few pumpkins from my garden that I'm looking to do something other than dessert with. This is perfect!
This would be a great post to link to Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays.
♥ Rebecca Jean
Midnight Maniac
Made this tonight and it is absolutely fantastic. I think this is the first time I've ever used pumpkin in a savory dish, had no idea what I was missing all this time!
I found this recipe a couple of months, and just got around to making it tonight. It was well worth the wait! Delicious!
Just made this tonight, loved it! I'm no master chef, but this was easy to prepare and the results were excellent. My Italian boyfriend, who is quite particular about his pastas, was a bit skeptical when I first suggested this recipe. But, on his third helping, he was still saying "mmm" after every bite. Thank you for the recipe!
You're welcome, Rachel. I'm so glad you tried it. It's surprisingly good, isn't it?
Water coming out from my mouth,its look so yummy.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous! Very easy too!
So glad you liked it, Brittany! This is one of our favorite fall pasta dishes. Thanks for letting us know!
Could you sub cream cheese for the goat cheese? My kids aren't huge goat cheese fans.
I think you could, Jennifer. You don't really taste the goat cheese, though, it just makes it creamy and gives it a little tang. I think if you want to substitute, I would use maybe sour cream. Without the flavor boost from the goat cheese, this can taste a little bland. Let me know what you decide to do and how it comes out. Good to hear from you!
Oh my stars! This looks like a dish that would knock the socks off dinner guests! It would be a marvelous contribution to this month's Shine Supper Club (our theme is one-pot meals). Hope you'll join us!