This pasta dish is festive, healthy, seasonal, and delicious. The pumpkin sauce is so good that I gave my bowl a little lick. I can’t wait to make this pasta again… likely on Halloween! You’ve got to give it a try. Pumpkin lovers will be obsessed and non-pumpkin lovers will like it anyway.

To make this tasty meal, cook some pasta until it is al dente. I made 8 ounces. Also prepare whatever add-ons you want to include in the pasta. I cooked a chicken breast and steamed some broccoli and eggplant.

Prepare the pumpkin sauce while the other components of the pasta are cooking. In a pot, soften 1/2 of a chopped onion and 1 minced garlic clove in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Then, add in 1 can of pumpkin purée and an equal amount of chicken stock. Whisk them together. Season the sauce with 1 teaspoon of minced sage, plenty of salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Don’t worry about reducing the sauce because it will thicken up from the pasta starch later.

After draining your noodles, add the pasta-add ons into the pot. Toss the pasta back in too. Then, pour over the pumpkin sauce. Over low heat, stir everything together and let the pasta sit for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened. 

Sprinkle over some toasted, candied walnuts and some parmesan cheese. I shaved my parmesan so it would blend in with the shape of the pasta. The sauce becomes so creamy that you might not believe it’s dairy free. I really enjoyed eating this great meal, and I hope you do too!

This recipe was inspired by “The I <3 Trader Joe’s Cookbook” by Cherie Mercer Twoky.