Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo

If you’re like me, when you think “pumpkin,” you think sweets—pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes… But over time, I’ve come to appreciate pumpkin for its versatility. Not only is it also good in savory dishes, but it adds a creaminess that enhances many recipes.

This Alfredo is one of the first dishes that won me over to the savory-pumpkin side. I love it for so many reasons:

• It’s delicious (because, seriously, what’s the point otherwise?!). It’s also a great gateway to pumpkin in a savory context, because it’s just a slight variation on a dish most people already love.
• It’s lighter than traditional Alfredo sauce but doesn’t exchange virtue for flavor.
• It’s fast! Because it’s mostly just opening cans and letting things cook, it cooks in the same amount of time as your pasta—you can go from “putting the water on to boil” to “dinner’s on the table” in 15 minutes. Plus, no chopping or futzing.
• It can easily be vegan and/or gluten-free, which makes it nice (and no more complicated) for cooks who need to work around food sensitivities. For a vegan version, I usually just sub coconut oil and milk for the butter and cream, and for a gluten-free version, all you need is good gluten-free noodles (this is my favorite gluten-free pasta brand).
• It plays nicely with “flexible cooking.” If I don’t have other plans for them, I often throw in the whole can of pumpkin and the whole can of coconut milk and it still comes out delicious.

The basic recipe comes from Food Network’s “50 Things to Make with Canned Pumpkin”, so if you like this one, you’ll want to peruse the rest of their list, too.

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Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 10 sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup cream or full-fat coconut milk
• pinch nutmeg
• grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
• 12 ounces dry pasta

Instructions

1. Start your pasta and cook according to package directions.
2. Saute the sage leaves in the butter or coconut oil.
3. Whisk in the pumpkin and cream (or coconut milk), and a pinch of nutmeg; simmer 5 minutes. Taste add salt and pepper as desired. (It usually needs a big pinch of salt.)
4. Toss with the cooked and drained pasta. Top with grated Parmesan (if not making this vegan).