Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
A rich and creamy sauce featuring pumpkin, garlic, and sage, perfect for cozy autumn dinners.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounces whole wheat fettuccini or any other long, thin noodle
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups nonfat milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese cut into chunks and at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the fettuccini and cook according to the package instructions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it sizzles. Add the flour and whisk for about 2 minutes until golden.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Gradually pour in the nonfat milk, whisking constantly to avoid clumps until smooth.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and let the mixture bubble and thicken for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, half of the sage leaves, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne. Whisk until combined.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Toss the drained pasta into the sauce, using reserved pasta water to adjust thickness if needed.
Serving
- Serve immediately, garnishing with Parmesan cheese and remaining sage leaves.
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Notes
To ensure the best flavor, use high-quality pumpkin puree. This sauce can be customized with protein, additional veggies, and different spices.