This Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce is an easy weeknight meal that's full of flavor. It's the perfect fall recipe that everyone will enjoy!
Nothing says fall quite like pumpkin and with all the pumpkin baked goods and desserts, I thought we could all use a savory dish. Insert this deliciously creamy pumpkin pasta sauce.
This is the perfect weeknight dinner if you're looking for something new, plus it comes together in about 20 minutes. This sauce is a great way to use up leftover pumpkin puree. If you're looking for more easy pasta sauce recipes, check out my Simple Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce or Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta.
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Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree- make sure you use pumpkin puree, which is just plain unsweetened pumpkin. Don't use pumpkin pie filling.
- Coconut milk- full-fat coconut milk makes this sauce extra creamy and does not taste like coconut at all.
- Pasta- a short noodle goes great with this sauce, I used orecchiette.
- Minced garlic
- Spices- onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
See the recipe card below for all ingredient quantities.
Instructions
Cook the pasta. Follow the directions on the package of the pasta you are using.
Make the sauce. Cook all of the sauce ingredients in a large skillet until creamy and well combined. Toss with the pasta and serve.
Substitutions
If you don't have all of the ingredients on hand, here are a few substitutions you can make.
- Pumpkin- instead of pumpkin puree, you can use butternut squash or mashed sweet potatoes.
- Coconut milk- coconut cream is a good replacement here but you will need more reserved pasta water. You can also use heavy cream, however, the sauce will no longer be vegan.
- Vegan butter- you can use regular butter, but again this will not be a vegan recipe.
Variations
Here are a few tasty additions to spice up this recipe even more.
- Meat- this is a vegan dish but if you want to add some protein, cooked ground sausage would be a great addition. Mix it into pasta with the sauce.
- Fresh herbs- add fresh herbs to freshen things up! Fresh sage and rosemary will pair great with the pumpkin.
- Vegetables- add roasted red peppers or crushed tomatoes to the sauce to add in some veggies.
Equipment
Grab what you need for this recipe:
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Colander
- Large skillet
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons needed: 1 teaspoon, 1 cup and ½ cup.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Top tip
If the sauce is too thick, pour in reserved pasta water to thin it out. Pour the water in ¼ cup increments and mix until the sauce reaches the desired texture. Vegetable or chicken broth will also work for thinning out the sauce if needed.
5 Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes!
Recipe
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (I used orecchiette)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a pot of salted water. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining.
- In a large skillet, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the pumpkin puree and spices and mix to combine.
- Pour in the coocnut milk and whisk everything together.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. If the sauce is too thick, pour in the reserved pasta water to thin it out. Pour the water in ¼ cup increments and mix until the sauce reaches the desired texture.
- Turn off the heat, pour the sauce over the pasta and mix to combine. Serve topped with more red pepper flakes and black pepper.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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