This creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce is made with pumpkin purée, pancetta, sage, parmesan, and heavy cream. Toss it with your favorite pasta for the perfect easy weeknight dinner. It is total fall comfort food.
Dessert recipes, like my Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust or the Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread, often use pumpkin purée. But I wanted to create a savory recipe for fall with pumpkin.
If pumpkin in pasta is not your thing, try my Pink Sauce Pasta, Simple Lobster Ravioli Sauce, or Butter Chicken Pasta.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy - This dish takes less than 30 minutes to make.
- Creamy - The heavy cream and pumpkin purée make this sauce super smooth and creamy.
- Herbaceous - Fresh sage, dried thyme, and rosemary add tons of flavor.
- Cheesy - The freshly grated parmesan reggiano cheese adds richness and nutiness.
- Mild - The “pumpkin” flavor is mild. The purée does not have a ton of flavor on its own so it takes on the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Texture - The fried pancetta (or bacon) adds some much needed texture and savoriness.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sage: To chop the sage, stack the leaves on top of each other. Cut them into long strips and then rotate the strips and chop into small squares.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Reduce to ¼ teaspoon or omit if you are sensitive to spice.
- White Wine: Use a dry citrusy white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- Pumpkin: Check the back of the can to ensure the only ingredient is pumpkin. There should not be any spices or sugar.
- Pasta: Use any short cut pasta (like cavatappi, penne, or rigatoni), or a wider long pasta, like fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Quick Overview
- Fry pancetta.
- Fry herbs.
- Sauté the garlic and shallot.
- Deglaze the pan with wine.
- Stir in pumpkin, cream, & pasta water.
- Simmer & toss with pasta.
Step by Step Instructions
Brown bits should develop on the bottom of the pan.
Step 1: In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the pancetta for 7-8 minutes or until it is browned and the fat is rendered. While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package. Save at least ½ cup of pasta water.
Step 2: Remove the pancetta (not the grease) from the skillet and place it on a plate with a paper towel. Set aside.
Step 3: Turn the heat to medium and add the olive oil. Add the sage and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: Add the thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Step 6: Add the shallot and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until softened.
Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for about one minute.
Step 7: Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping any brown bits off the bottom. Reduce for 1-2 minutes.
Step 8: Add the pumpkin and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 9: Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream.
Step 10: Add ½ cup of pasta water.
Step 11: Stir until combined.
Step 12: Add the pasta and finish cooking it in the sauce. Simmer until desired thickness. Top with the pancetta and more parmesan cheese.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
This sauce (tossed with some pasta of course) can definitely be served on its own. It is super hearty and filling. If you want to add some protein or a side, here are some ideas:
- Add sliced Cast Iron Chicken Breast on top
- Pair with a side of Kale Crunch Salad or Goat Cheese Salad with Arugula
- Dip a slice of Easy Rustic Bread or Parmesan Rosemary Bread in any extra sauce
- The rest of the bottle of white wine used in the recipe
Expert Tips & Variations
- Don’t skip pancetta or bacon. The pancetta should be crispy and the white fat should render completely. This adds a wonderful texture and salty bite.
- Fry the sage. Frying the sage and other dried spices brings out the flavor more. Sage also has an unpleasant taste and texture uncooked.
- Deglaze the pan. Deglazing the pan with wine lifts all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. This adds so much depth to the sauce.
- Use parmesan reggiano. This is definitely a splurge ingredient but the flavor is unmatched. I do not recommend processed pre-grated parmesan in the plastic jar.
- Don’t overheat the cream. Be sure the heat is low when adding the cream. It can easily curdle if overheated.
- Salt the pasta water & don’t overcook. Be sure to heavily salt the water the pasta is boiled in. I also recommend cooking the pasta for about 1 minute less than the shortest time recommended on the package and finishing it in the sauce for about a minute.
How To Store
Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for 2-3 months. Reheat refrigerated or unthawed frozen sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe FAQs
Pumpkin has a mild flavor similar to a sweet potato or squash. It has a subtle sweetness.
Pumpkin based sauces are typically made of pumpkin purée, cream, and other ingredients, like herbs, garlic, and cheese to flavor it.
The starchy salty water adds flavor and helps thicken the sauce and helps it to adhere to the pasta.
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Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces diced pancetta or bacon
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes*
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 shallot, diced
- ⅓ cup white wine*
- ¾ cup plain pumpkin purée*
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan reggiano, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces pasta, plus about ½ cup pasta water*
Instructions:
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the pancetta for 7-8 minutes or until it is browned and the fat is rendered. While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta according to the package. Save at least ½ cup of pasta water.
- Remove the pancetta (not the grease) from the skillet and place it on a plate with a paper towel. Set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the olive oil. Add the sage and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the shallot and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until softened.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping any brown bits off the bottom. Reduce for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in the cream.
- Add ½ cup of pasta water.
- Stir until combined.
- Add the pasta and finish cooking it in the sauce. Simmer until desired thickness. Top with the pancetta and more parmesan cheese.
Notes:
- Sage: To chop the sage, stack the leaves on top of each other. Cut them into long strips and then rotate the strips and chop into small squares.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Reduce to ¼ teaspoon or omit if you are sensitive to spice.
- White Wine: Use a dry citrusy white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.
- Pumpkin: Check the back of the can to ensure the only ingredient is pumpkin. There should not be any spices or sugar. Pasta: Use any short cut pasta (like cavatappi, penne, or rigatoni), or a wider long pasta, like fettuccine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle.
- Don’t overheat the cream. Be sure the heat is low when adding the cream. It can easily curdle if overheated.
- Salt the pasta water & don’t overcook. Be sure to heavily salt the water the pasta is boiled in. I also recommend cooking the pasta for about 1 minute less than the shortest time recommended on the package and finishing it in the sauce for about a minute.
This recipe looks amazingly delicious and I look forward to preparing it. I love pumpkin purée. Thank you for sharing