Thick and creamy pumpkin alfredo using canned pumpkin, cream, and garlic makes the perfect sauce for pasta.
Few things are more glorious than sitting down to a bowl of rich and creamy pasta. This meal is going to be making an appearance on your table over and over again for a few reasons. It’s total “comfort food” in the fact that it’s pasta covered in creamy, garlicky goodness. It just plain tastes good, all day every day. You are also going to love the fact that this main dish comes together in about 20 minutes. You can cook the pasta while you stir together the sauce and you’ll be eating before you know it. Pumpkin alfredo is also great because it only has 5 ingredients! Plus, it’s meatless which is easy on the budget. Sign. Me. Up.
I love that this recipe contains pumpkin! Pumpkin is one of those superfood kind of vegetables that I just can’t get enough of. Throw it in some pasta and I’m sold. Pumpkin is rich in potassium. Cup for cup, it actually has more than bananas. It’s also a pretty good source of vitamin C, making it a good immune system booster. Did I mention it’s packed with fiber, and vitamin A?
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe because I know you are going to love it!
This recipe is part of Pumpkin Week that I’m doing with Emily from One Lovely Life. We are sharing a new pumpkin recipe every day this week. Check out her here loaded vegan quesadillas here. Don’t they look awesome?
Tips and Tricks for Making Pumpkin Alfredo
- Use store-bought canned pumpkin puree (the kind without any added ingredients or spices) or use homemade pumpkin puree – it’s up to you!
- If you’d like to make a little bit lighter version of this dish, you can halve the cream and use half and half for the rest.
- You can serve this delicious pumpkin alfredo over just about anything you like, including gluten-free pasta, homemade pumpkin noodles, zucchini noodles, or cooked spaghetti squash. It’s great on everything.
- It’s doesn’t taste overly pumpkin-y but the pumpkin makes the sauce a glorious, cheesy orange color. My kids just thought it was cheesy noodles and didn’t even ask me why it was orange. Hidden veggies = mom win!
- Have I convinced you to get a cast iron skillet yet? I like making this recipe in mine because the even heat doesn’t scorch my butter and garlic.
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Rich and Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
Thick and creamy pumpkin alfredo using canned pumpkin, cream, and garlic makes the perfect sauce for pasta.
Ingredients
- 12–16 ounces pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3–5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the water that the pasta cooked in, and then drain and set the pasta aside.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter.
- When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree and the heavy cream.
- Bring the mixture to a light simmer and add the Parmesan cheese.
- Cook, stirring very often, until the cheese melts and the mixture starts to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water until it reaches a creamy consistency that coats the pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Notes
- Don’t be shy about salt in this recipe. I added about a teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin pasta recipe, pumpkin pasta sauce recipe, pumpkin alfredo sauce, easy pumpkin recipe
Recipe inspired by and slightly adapted from Pinch of Yum.
Other pumpkin + pasta recipes that I love include this One Pot Pumpkin Pasta as well as this recipe for making homemade noodles with pumpkin in them (they are so pretty and are awesome in our favorite chicken noodle soup). Be sure to check in all week for new pumpkin recipes.
Enjoy from my kitchen to yours.
Pumpkin alfredo sounds like heaven!
What could you use instead of heavy cream?
Normal cream, and half and half both work well though it is a little less creamy with the half and half!
I’m thinking of using part Greek yogurt.
Oh YUMMY! I actually had to make some changes since I was sharing this. It had to be low fat…..found a great recipe that used 2%, cottage cheese and cornstarch to create the heavy cream “feel”. I don’t know how it really compares to your dish, but what I created definitely made me think “Wow, I am making this again and again!” Pumpkin, garlic and parmesan together are magical! Hubby had no clue he just ate a vegetable and she loved it! Thank ya!!!!
★★★★★
Great ideas on substitution! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the review!