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!

Pasta for days over here. Check out these recipes: 30 Minute Simple Roasted Tomato and Sausage Pasta, Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta and Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Baked Pasta.

One Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

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. 🙂

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.
• 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.
• 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.

How do I avoid cream cheese being chunky and not smooth in this recipe?

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.

What can I use instead of sage?

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.

Do I really need a dutch oven?

I think everyone should have one in their kitchen.I used this dutch oven for this recipe and it was awesome (7.5 quart size).

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Here's some more one pot wonders to try:

• Farmstand One Pot Wonder
• One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta
• The Best One Pot Baked Ziti
• 16 Easy One Pot Dinner Recipes
• One-Pot Sausage, Rice, and Peas Dinner
• Healthy One Pot Quinoa Taco Casserole
• One Pot Pasta Primavera

I hope you make this quick and easy One Pot Creamy Pumpkin Pasta . for dinner tonight and love it! I can't wait to hear how it goes. Long live the one pot wonder!