I love experimenting with pumpkin in the fall.
It’s such a unique flavor that you can really only have this time of year. And it’s SO versatile.
Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin brownies… but savory pumpkin dishes? So underrated! And a delicious pumpkin-y sauce on pasta: even better.
Anyone who’s fallen prey to diet culture (myself included!) probably has feared pasta at some point. The carbs! But honestly, as dietitian, let me tell you: pasta is really great.
Not only is it most often made with just one ingredient (durum wheat flour — take that supermarket fear mongers), it’s also full of nutrients. Pasta contains protein, fiber, iron, and beneficial B vitamins.
It’s also filling and delicious. Carbs are so important to give us energy and to help keep us full. Truly without them, meals just aren’t as filling.
And want to know something wild? I used to think I didn’t like pasta.
But now I think I just had been eating it plain. And while now I do appreciate plain pasta, I also know that most foods aren’t as good plain. Most foods need a little flavor. After all, food should be flavorful, enjoyable, and fun.
And this dish is exactly that. A flavorful, seasonal, nutritious, and delicious way to make pasta.
The sauce adds fun nutrients like vitamin C and vitamin A from the bell pepper and pumpkin, plus calcium and protein from the cheese and Greek yogurt. But most importantly, it’s just delicious.
And at the end of the day, while it’s important to eat nutritious food, it’s also really important that food just tastes good.
And that’s exactly what you’re getting here.
Prep ingredients
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked through, stirring occasionally (*make sure to reserve some of the pasta water for the sauce).
Prep veggies
While pasta is cooking, roughly chop the bell peppers and onion. Add to the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the vegetables are just charred on top.
Add ingredients to blender
In a powerful blender or food processor, add the vegetable broth, pumpkin purée, Greek yogurt, roasted peppers and onion, parmesan cheese, pumpkin pie spice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Blend sauce
Blend until smooth.
Pour sauce on pasta
Pour the sauce over the pasta.
Mix pasta with the sauce
Toss to combine.
Garnish
Top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
Serve
Serve for lunch or dinner!
Notes
- Pasta: I used casarecce pasta in these photos. I recommend any pasta with some grooves or spirals – fusilli or rotini are also great.
- Bell pepper & onion: Roasted bell pepper & onion add delicious savory flavor to the sauce.
- Vegetable broth: Broth helps to create a smooth texture when blending the pasta. For a thinner sauce, add more broth. If you want to easily add more protein to the sauce, you can also swap broth for nutritional yeast.
- Pasta water: Adding a little pasta water to your sauce helps the sauce to stick to the pasta. It’s the ultimate easy hack!
- Pumpkin puree: You’ll have some leftover. I recommend storing it in an airtight container in the fridge… and making these pumpkin bars with it 🙂
- Greek yogurt: Adds creaminess to the sauce as well as some protein!
- Storage: Store the pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce gets thicker as it sits. You can eat it as is, or add a little vegetable broth to mix in before reheating.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 2 medium red bell peppers
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked through, stirring occasionally (*make sure to reserve some of the pasta water for the sauce).
- While pasta is cooking, roughly chop the bell peppers and onion. Add to the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for an additional 1-2 minutes, until the vegetables are just charred on top.
- In a powerful blender or food processor, add the vegetable broth, pumpkin purée, Greek yogurt, roasted peppers and onion, parmesan cheese, pumpkin pie spice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
