Description
A comforting and creamy vegan pumpkin pasta featuring a sage-infused pumpkin sauce tossed with tender pasta and topped with toasted pine nuts for a delightful crunch. This recipe is perfect for a cozy fall dinner and is entirely plant-based, using simple ingredients for a rich and flavorful meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 oz bow tie pasta (or gluten-free pasta)
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1½ cups pumpkin puree (canned, not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup plant-based milk (neutral-flavored such as almond or oat milk)
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Toppings
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Cook your pasta: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add ½ teaspoon salt, and then add the pasta. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain and set aside, reserving some pasta cooking water if needed to thin the sauce later.
- Toast the pine nuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the pine nuts in a baking dish and toast them for 7-10 minutes until they are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Make the pumpkin pasta sauce: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: Reduce the heat to low. Add fresh sage, vegetable broth, pumpkin puree, and plant-based milk to the pan. Stir well and let the sauce simmer gently for 7 minutes. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, then remove the sauce from the heat.
- Add pasta to the pumpkin sauce: Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the pumpkin sage sauce. Toss gently to combine, adding reserved pasta water if needed to adjust consistency.
- Serve: Divide the pumpkin pasta among bowls, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Non-dairy milk: Use a neutral-flavored plant milk like almond or oat milk for best results. Coconut milk can be used but may alter the flavor. Mix coconut milk with another plant milk if desired.
- Sage: If fresh sage is not available, substitute with ⅓ teaspoon dried sage or dried thyme.
- Pasta cooking water: Save some cooking water when draining pasta to thin out the sauce if it becomes too thick.
- Seasoning: Adjust salt to taste, ensuring the sauce is well seasoned but not overly sweet.
- Serving suggestion: Sprinkle with nutritional yeast for a cheese-like flavor and added B vitamins.
- Storage: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of plant-based milk to retain creaminess, stirring occasionally.
- Freezing: Pumpkin sauce freezes well for 2-3 months in freezer-safe bags; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
- Note on freezing pasta: Cooked pasta does not freeze well and can turn mushy upon thawing and reheating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Boiling, Sautéing, Simmering
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 377 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 749 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pasta sauce, vegan pasta recipe, plant-based pasta, fall recipes, dairy-free pasta sauce, pumpkin recipe
