One Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

One pot creamy pumpkin pasta with toasted walnuts and parsley is a simple meatless meal the whole family will love. Plus, it’s done in 20 minutes!

Few things are more wonderful than a hearty rich pasta dish that practically makes itself. You are going to love this One Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta.

Here’s what is awesome about this recipe:

• It’s done in about 20 minutes.
• It has vegetables hiding in it (the orangey color from the pumpkin just looks cheesy).
• It’s meatless, though adding a little protein to this dish would be a piece of cake (or chicken, for that matter).

All of those things make it a great go-to meal. If you keep a few of the ingredients on hand, this is a nice simple meal that you can make when you get in the door and have on the table in no time. This would be great served with a nice green salad (I love this one), with some fresh fruit, and if you have the time, a loaf of my favorite simple no-knead bread.

This recipe is part of the Pumpkin Week that Cassie from Wholefully and I are working on together. We are sharing a full 7 days of pumpkin recipes, and then ending with a giant round-up of all the pumpkin posts we have on our sites. Today Cassie is sharing a One Bowl Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread recipe and I’m so excited about it. Pumpkin bread with a healthy makeover. Sign. Me. UP! We would love for you to stay tuned for pumpkin goodness all week long! Feel free to share the recipes on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram too, because there’s no such thing as too many pumpkin recipes. You owe it to all your friends. 🙂

Craving more? Subscribe to Bless this Mess to get new recipes, meal plans, and a newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #blessthismesseat on Instagram. I love to see your kitchen skills in action!

One Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

One pot creamy pumpkin pasta with toasted walnuts and parsley is a simple meatless meal the whole family will love. Plus, it’s done in 20 minutes!

• Author: Melissa Griffiths
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

• 16 ounces of linguine
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups)
• 2 cups water
• 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
• 4-6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon crush red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup chopped walnut, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot add your pasta, pumpkin, chicken stock, water, onion, garlic, sage, and red pepper flakes. Place the pot over medium-high heat. Stirring occasionally wait for the liquid to boil. When the liquid comes to a boil set your timer for 9 minutes. Let the mixture cook, stirring often. You’ll want to stir even more often as the cooking time gets closer to ending because you’ll have even less liquid in the pan.
2. After the 9 minutes is up, test the noodles. If they are too firm, cook an additional minute or 2. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir until well combined. Remove from the heat and stir in your toasted walnuts and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste (be generous here, the amount will vary depending on the stock that you used, but you will need salt and pepper).
3. Serve hot.

Here are some tips and tricks that you might want to know:

• I didn’t try this with whole wheat or gluten-free pasta. In my mind, the gluten-free would turn to mush with all the stirring, and a whole wheat pasta might take more liquid to cook all the way. I’d love to know if you try either, but be warned, I didn’t make this recipes with those two things.
• I loved the toasted walnuts in this pumpkin pasta, and in fact I might double them next time I make it. If nuts aren’t your jam, you can leave them out.
• The cream cheese will melt more quickly and smoothly if it’s at room temperature. Sometimes cold cream cheese gets a little chunky, and that might happen if yours is too cold. It will taste great, but it might not look great.
• If you have a stronger hard cheese like a Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, by all means, use that instead of or in combination with the Parmesan. Good cheese is never a bad thing.
• If you don’t have sage, you could try adding a little basil, Italian seasoning, or even a dash of nutmeg, which compliments pumpkin nicely.
• I like to toast my walnuts in a little skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Just be sure to stir them often because they do tend to burn when forgotten. Burnt nuts will ruin the whole dish.
• Costco sells a great organic chicken stock that I recommend. It comes in quart-sized boxes in a set of 6. They are just under $2 a box, which is just about as cheap as I can make it at home.
• I used this dutch oven for this recipe and it was awesome (7.5 quart size). I think everyone should have one in their kitchen.

I hope you make this for dinner tonight and love it! I can’t wait to hear how it goes. Long live the one pot wonder!