Rich, velvety and wonderfully savory, my creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is a fantastic option during the autumn season for making a cozy and delicious pasta dish. Prepared with real pumpkin, savory roasted garlic cloves, dried herbs, plus mascarpone cheese and a touch of half and half for creaminess, this recipe is just perfect to toss together with your favorite pasta for a vibrant fall meal!
A delicious autumn-inspired pasta sauce
In a pinch, a good quality store-bought pasta sauce can be a real time saver when you're looking to put together a quick bowl of comforting pasta, lickety-split.
But in all honesty, nothing, and I mean nothing, even comes close to a homemade pasta sauce, when it's prepared with fresh, natural ingredients, and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
You most definitely can taste the difference in a homemade sauce, which makes a warm bowl of pasta on a chilly weeknight that much more comfy-cozy and scrumptious.
Perfect for the fall season, my creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is a favorite of ours to toss together with freshly-cooked fettuccine, perhaps with some grilled chicken slices on top.
It's rich, velvety and simply brimming with vibrant, golden, autumn color, with just the right amount of creaminess.
This pumpkin pasta sauce is a terrific way to make use of pumpkin during this time of year, and offers a mouthwatering alternative to a traditional red sauce or alfredo sauce to combine with your favorite pasta and add-ins!
My recipe for pumpkin pasta sauce
Preparing this pumpkin pasta sauce requires just a handful of savory ingredients, with just a little bit of cook time.
Most of the time spent on this seasonal sauce is just waiting for the garlic heads to roast, in order for those soft, sweet-earthy garlic cloves to be added into this sauce, creating such lovely and delicious flavor.
Other than roasting the garlic, all that's required is some good quality canned pumpkin (I prefer organic for this), as well as a touch of natural chicken base (for added savoriness), dried herbs, plus rich mascarpone cheese and a touch of half and half to create the creaminess.
I also love to finish off this pumpkin pasta sauce recipe with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, before adding to it whatever kind of pasta I'd like (we typically love fettuccine, and add chicken).
It's delectably creamy and savory, and brimming with the flavors of autumn in every silky bite!
Here's a sneak peek at my pumpkin pasta sauce recipe:
(or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I roast my garlic heads for roughly 45 to 50 minutes, until deeply golden, soft and sweet. Then, I squeeze the cloves from their skins, and mash the garlic cloves into a paste, and set them aside.
- To prepare the pumpkin pasta sauce, I place a large, deep pan over medium heat and add in my butter, then my pumpkin puree, my roasted garlic clove paste, and my other aromatic ingredients, and stir to combine.
- Once warmed through, I whisk in the mascarpone until melted in, and then the half and half, and mix those in until blended.
- I turn off the heat and whisk in grated parmesan, and either allow the sauce to cool if making ahead to use later, or immediately fold in about half a pound of cooked pasta of my choice (plus any other add-ins I'd like), and toss to combine until the pasta is well-coated.
- To finish, I garnish as desired, typically with shaved parmesan.
Recipe
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
by Ingrid Beer
This creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is loaded with flavor from roasted garlic, mascarpone and parmesan cheese, perfect with your favorite pasta!
Category: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Yield: 5 cups sauce
Nutrition info: 168 calories (per ½ cup serving)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes (includes time to roast garlic heads)
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 whole heads garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 (15 ounce) cans organic pure pumpkin
- 1 ½ tablespoons organic, natural chicken base (I use “Better Than Bouillon”)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temp
- ¾ cup half and half, room temp
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list to have ready and organized for use.
- Preheat your oven to 400°.
- Then, cut the tops off of each of the heads of garlic, and drizzle each with a little olive oil, plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Wrap each head tightly in a medium-large square of foil, and roast the garlic heads for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Once roasted, unwrap the garlic heads to allow them to cool just enough so that you can handle them. Then, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins, and using your knife or a fork, make a paste out of them. Set the paste aside for a moment.
- Next, place a large heavy-bottom pan or small pot over medium-low to medium heat, and add in the butter. Once melted, add in the pumpkin puree, along with the roasted garlic paste, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to become warmed through for a moment or two.
- Then, add in the chicken base, as well as the Italian seasoning, a small pinch of salt and the black pepper, and stir to combine and incorporate.
- Add in the mascarpone cheese, and gently stir/whisk that in until it melts into the puree. Next, add in the half and half, and stir to blend that in.
- Turn the heat off under the pumpkin pasta sauce, and finish it by stirring/whisking in the grated parmesan. Check to see if any additional salt or black pepper is needed.
- Use the sauce immediately by adding in your favorite cooked pasta (roughly 8 to 10 dry ounces worth) and other add-ins of choice, folding everything together until well coated and combined. Or, allow the sauce to cool completely, and then keep in a covered container in the fridge, if making ahead.
Tips & Tidbits for my pumpkin pasta sauce recipe:
- Good quality, canned, pure pumpkin: Using good quality (organic, ideally) canned pumpkin for this tasty sauce is a fantastic short-cut, and helps make the preparation of it a breeze. You will need 2 (15 ounce) cans of pumpkin, and make sure that it is pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Roasted garlic, for savory, earthy flavor: The roasted garlic called for in this sauce recipe provides really delicious depth and a mild, sweet-earthy flavor. Once the three garlic heads are roasted (yes, three whole heads, and I promise it's not too much), you'll simply allow them to cool just enough to handle them, and then squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins and mash into a paste.
- Your favorite pasta to combine the sauce with: We love fettuccine pasta with this rich, velvety sauce, but other terrific options are linguine, penne, corkscrew pasta, or even gnocchi. If adding pasta directly into the sauce, then use between 8 and 10 ounces (dry weight) of pasta.
- Bells and whistles to add in: Typically, I opt for sliced, grilled chicken as a topper to a bowl of pasta with this pumpkin sauce, but shrimp, Italian sausage or ground turkey are terrific as well. Feel free to get creative, and even add in some other tasty morsels of your liking.
- Make this pumpkin pasta sauce ahead, to use as needed: You can easily prepare this sauce ahead of time to have ready and on hand to use for your pasta recipes, as needed. Simply prepare it all the way through, and rather than add in any cooked pasta, etc., just allow it to completely cool, then store in a covered container (a mason jar or two with lids works great) in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the sauce by placing into freezer-safe bags or containers, then thaw in the fridge a day or two before needed. Gently reheat, stovetop.
Hungry for more delicious pastas or sauces? Check out my recipe for homemade Marinara Sauce, Arrabbiata Sauce, Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Bucatini Pasta with Garlic Butter Sauce, or even my recipe for creamy, cheesy Shells and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2014, and has been updated with even more love!
Sarah
This sounds wonderful Ingrid!
Sarah
The Cozy Apron
Thanks, Sarah!
ellie | fit for the soul
Oh my gooodness~I seriously can't believe how insanely good this looks!!!! So creamy, savory, and perfect. literally all my fave ingredients in there including the mascarpone. Great job showing the deliciousness that cream is through your gorgeous photography 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Thanks so much, Ellie!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
This is probably the best looking fettuccine I have ever seen. It looks so creamy, delicious and full of flavour.. wish I had a bowl of it to devour now. Saved to recreate , thanks for the recipe!
janet
Love this post! I can relate as we've just gone through one of those weeks! And this recipe...not only looks wonderful, but sounds delicious...I have to give this a try!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Janet, thanks so much for sharing that with me! Here's to getting through things intact, right? 🙂 I truly hope you give this recipe a try, and find some comfort in it. Thank you for coming by!
Liz
Sounds wonderful and different. Thank you.
Karl Jackson
This is the second straight recipe I've tried (The first was from RecipeTinEats) that came out a complete disaster. I followed everything in this recipe EXACTLY, and my sauce came out a thick flavorless paste tasting mildly of pumpkin. I even tried adding more cream, more mascarpone, and more chicken stock. Is there possibly something misprinted in this recipe? I am far from a beginner cook so I have no idea how this could've gone so wrong.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Karl, I'm so sorry to read about your experience. I can assure you that there is no misprint in the recipe; and if you take a look at the photos of the sauce, it is silky and smooth, and far from a "thick, flavorless paste". I was wondering what type of pumpkin you used—was it organic pumpkin, in the puree form? The texture of mine was very silky and smooth, like baby food; I purchased it from Trader Joe's, but you can also find organic pumpkin at Whole Foods or other select markets. You also mentioned that you used (or added) chicken stock; I, however, used chicken base, which is very different. Unfortunately, since I was not there with you, it's impossible for me to know exactly what happened.
Karl Jackson
I used boullion powder mixed with hot water. And the pumpkin puree I used was organic. I believe it was Amy's brand. I just wanted to make sure there was not an error in the recipe before I try this again. Thanks!
Samantha
Made this for dinner tonight, and as you can't buy canned pumpkin puree here in australia i had to make my own, and let me tell you, it was SO worth it, it is my new favorite way to eat pumpkin, pasta and chicken. So beautiful and creamy, packed with flavor. Thank you for sharing the recipe!! 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Samantha, that is sweet music to my ears! So glad you found it worth making the pumpkin puree from scratch, which, of course, can be time consuming; so to have you share that this recipe is now a new favorite way for you to eat this combo of ingredients means a lot! Thank you for taking a moment to share your experience with me all the way from Australia! 🙂
Jess
Could this sauce be frozen??
The Cozy Apron
Hi Jess! Yes, you could certainly freeze this sauce, just as you might any other. When you're ready to cook with it, just allow for it to de-frost or thaw in the fridge for a couple of days, then warm in the pan. Check your seasoning (salt/pepper) just in case you need a pinch more after the thaw.
Paige
Made this for my husband tonight and it is AMAZING! Silky and delicious, thank you so much for posting it!!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Paige, I'm thrilled to read that—thanks for sharing! Glad you both enjoyed; it's precious that you prepared this, with love, for you hubby. 🙂
Cindy Neu
Made for dinner and used zoodles. More vegetables for enjoying!
The Cozy Apron
Cindy, the more veggies, the better! That's great—way to use "zoodles"! Thanks for your comments.
Marsha
I have been wanting to make this for months. Last night was the big night and I was not disappointed. Oh my gosh, my husband and I loved it. I used fresh sage picked from the garden. I mixed up the chicken and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours it was so flavorful and tender. I really appreciated the tip on slicing the breast in half length ways. I have never thought of doing that I always pound them out thin. Your way was so much better thanks. The sauce was amazing! Silky deliciousness. This is a keeper for sure. We had left over sauce since there were only two of us and we are going to try it as the base for a harvest pumpkin pizza. Thanks so much for posting your recipe it is out of this world!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Marsha, I'm thrilled to read that! So glad you both enjoyed this so much. And fresh picked sage form YOUR garden?! Must've been delicious! 🙂 I love that you had a bit of that sauce leftover—perfect idea to use for a fall-inspired pizza sauce. Thanks so much for sharing!
laura
Hi, I wanted to make this as a vegetarian skipping the chicken but wanted to include sage. Do you have recommendation on how to incorporate into sauce? Would dried be ok? thanks
The Cozy Apron
Hi Laura, that'd be great! You can certainly use dried sage, but I'd actually go with the fresh and just sprinkle it in at the end, maybe about a tablespoon. Hope that helps!
Frances
I realize this is an old post but I came across this recipe and can't wait to try it. I'm researching recipes I can freeze and use during my maternity leave. My question is, can this recipe be made vegetarian? My husband is a vegetarian and I try to adapt recipes so we both can enjoy them. Do you know if a "vegetable base" exists rather than a chicken base? Can't wait to try this out!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Frances, this absolutely can be made vegetarian! There is, indeed, a "veggie" base in the "Better Than Bouillon " line, several non-meat bases, actually. I would recommend one called "No Chicken" base, which tastes amazing & is a great savory sub for this recipe. Best wishes on your soon-to-be new arrival, and I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Sarah
I threw a pie pumpkin in my instant pot for 10 minutes and made my own purée. So tasty and simple. Thank you!
The Cozy Apron
Sarah, that sounds perfect! Way to make things that much more homemade, and fresh. So glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks for sharing your experience!
Kimiko
Hello, can this recipe be used with non organic pumpkin purée? And if I cannot find base, is there an alternative I can use??
The Cozy Apron
Hi Kimiko, you certainly do not have to use organic, just make sure it is pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. And if you can't find the base, just leave it out; you will most likely need to add some salt.