Creamy pumpkin pasta with pancetta and sage

The creamiest pumpkin pasta recipe served with crispy pancetta and sage is like a hug in a bowl. This pumpkin pasta sauce makes a delicious, easy Fall dinner recipe.

Ingredients

Full pumpkin pasta recipe can be found in the recipe card.

• Butter. Olive oil can be used instead.
• Onion. Leeks or shallots can be substituted.
• Garlic.
• Fresh sage. Thyme will also be delicious.
• Pumpkin. You can use canned pumpkin puree for this but I prefer making my own. Any pumpkin variety will do. Butternut squash is also delicious.
• Cream. Heavy cream/whipping cream. If you’d prefer to keep this recipe low calorie, use whole milk or half and half instead. The sauce will be a little thinner but will still be delicious.
• Salt and pepper.
• Parmesan cheese.
• Pasta. My favorite pasta shapes to use with creamy pasta is linguine, rigatoni, bucatini or fettucine.
• Pancetta, to serve. Bacon or prosciutto can also be used.

How to make creamy pumpkin pasta

1. Make the pumpkin pasta sauce: In a large, deep pan or skillet set over medium high heat, melt the butter. Place the pancetta in the pan and cook until crisp then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant. Add the sage to the pan and allow to fry for a few seconds then add in the pumpkin puree and pour in the cream. Stir together then season to taste. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
2. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add pasta of your choice and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water then strain.
3. Combine: Add the pasta and Parmesan cheese to the pumpkin pasta sauce with a splash of the cooking water. Toss until the pasta is coated, adding more water if necessary.
4. Serve: Serve the pasta with crispy pancetta and fried sage (optional).

How to thicken pumpkin pasta sauce

You could add a few teaspoons of flour to the onions and garlic before adding the pumpkin and cream but I find this to be an unnecessary step. Simply allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered, until it has reached your desired thickness. You can also add more pumpkin puree to thicken the sauce.

What side dishes can I serve with pasta?

Most pasta dishes are a meal all on their own but if you’d prefer to add side dishes, garlic bread or a simple salad with a zingy dressing are the perfect accompaniments.

• Cheesy pull apart garlic bread
• Easy green salad with lemon Parmesan dressing

Fall dinner ideas

1. Cheese and tomato baked ravioli
2. Creamy vegetarian pot pie
3. Easy Parmesan crusted chicken