Recipe- Pumpkin Cream Pasta

It’s been a month since the Pumpkin Spice Latte returned, but if you still need your pumpkin fix, try this pasta! This is a perfect fall recipe and the sheer simplicity in making it is unbelievable. After eating it, I decided it was one of the best sauces I had ever made! My toddler ate more food at one time than I’ve ever seen her eat, and I could feel good about it because the sauce was loaded with pumpkin. (It’s fun to sneak veggies in for kids!)

You can use any pasta noodle you want, but I would recommend a tubular shaped one to hold more sauce. I had rigatoni on hand, but penne would be an excellent choice, as well.

I added peas to mine since I love a good veggie pasta combo, but you can omit them, or add really any vegetable you want. I also topped this dish with Gardein vegan meatballs for some added protein and to appease the husband!

Recipe will yield about 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta of your choice

1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegan butter

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1 13.5 oz can coconut milk

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 small bag frozen peas or broccoli (optional)

Vegan meatballs (optional)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; set aside.

*Here’s a cool tip when cooking your pasta. If you plan on adding vegetables to your finished dish, pour the them in while the pasta is cooking. I threw the bag of frozen peas in for the last 6 minutes of cooking time. (Which was half the cooking time of my pasta.) When you go to drain your pasta, your veggies will be perfectly cooked! Just drain as normal. No need to take up another space on the stovetop or dirty another dish!

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add garlic or garlic powder and saute for a few minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree, milk, and spices.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer. You will start to see the sauce boil.

Keep stirring until your sauce thickens, considerably, about 8-10 minutes. (It smelled so good, it felt like this part took forever!)

Pour sauce over cooked pasta and veggies, if using.

Stir to combine.

Enjoy this lovely fall dish!