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–+ servings

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic & Sage

Embrace the flavors of fall with this Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic & Sage, where rich pumpkin sauce and aromatic sage elevate hearty rigatoni to a seasonal delight. With a crunchy breadcrumb topping and hints of nutmeg, it’s the ultimate cozy dish for chilly autumn evenings!
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Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups rigatoni, cooked
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup pepitas
  • 3 tablespoons butter (1 tbsp to toast breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp with the sage, before adding pumpkin sauce)
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
  • 3 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup pasta water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 cups kale, stemmed & finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 tsp for the pumpkin sauce and 1/2 tsp for when you’re mixing it all together at the end
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to package. IMPORTANT NOTE: Before you drain your pasta, be sure to save 2/3 cup of pasta water! 
    You will need about 3 cups of cooked rigatoni for this recipe!
  • Let's start with making our toasted breadcrumb topping. I had some stale bread that I needed to use so I added the slices to a blender and just blended for about 10-15 seconds until the pieces broke down into breadcrumbs.
  • Now it's time to toast the breadcrumbs. Add 1 tbsp butter to the pan and add the freshly ground up breadcrumbs. Let them get toasty before for 2 minutes on low-med heat and then add pepitas and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
  • Once the breadcrumbs are done, it's time to make your sauce. So in the same blender that you just used for the breadcrumbs, add pumpkin puree, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Then mix all ingredients together for about 30 seconds, until well blended.
  • In your pan, add 2 tbsp butter and cook for about 1-2 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add in chopped sage and cook for another minute.
  • Then add pumpkin sauce to the pan, and let simmer for about 3-5 minutes until it starts to bubble. Then add in 1/4 cup of cream and mix well.
  • Next add in your chopped kale and cook down for about 3-4 minutes. Once the kale has cooked down, slowly add in a little more pasta water to get the sauce to your desired consistency! Then add in pasta and mix well!
  • Once all of the pasta is nice and coated, top with your toasted breadcrumbs and pepitas, some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped sage!
Keyword Kale, Pasta, Pumpkin
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