Healthy creamy pumpkin pasta

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This recipe of healthy creamy pumpkin pasta combines the rich consistency of the Alfredo sauce with less cream and butter, accompanied by a savory-sweet taste topping your pasta.

This recipe of healthy creamy pumpkin pasta is a perfect combination between your favorite pasta and a delicious savory creamy sauce of pumpkin, topped with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese. One of the easy healthy dinner ideas of all time, this recipe is by far a staple to serve over lunch or dinner at home. Whether you decide to do your pumpkin purée at home because why not DIY, or you decide to opt for a store-bought one if you are in a rush, you will end up having a rich and velvety creamy sauce to top and coat your pasta.

If you love fettuccine Alfredo, then this recipe is your go-to choice. You will have the rich consistency of the Alfredo sauce with less cream and butter, accompanied by a savory-sweet taste topping your fettuccini. I guarantee you will fall in love with this dish. 

So, since fall is here, why don’t you lift your sleeves and get in the fall pumpkin mood. For this recipe, I use different kinds of pasta, be it short pasta, little nests fettuccine, or spaghetti. They are all perfect absorbers to this sauce and make it shine in the dish all the way. With a few ingredients at hand, such as milk, cream, pumpkin puree, garlic, onions, a little bit of butter, and of course pasta, you will be able to indulge in this delicious recipe with less fat, fewer calories, and less guilt. 

What makes this healthy creamy pumpkin pasta a healthy swap to regular fettuccini Alfredo?

Original Alfredo sauce requires a good amount of butter and cream. Although it has an irresistible silky consistency, it comes with additional calories and fat. However, the pumpkin puree in this recipe allows for reducing the amount of butter and cream without affecting compromising the taste or the texture. With additional flavors and seasonings, you will find this dish healthy, fulfilling, and rewarding that you will crave times and times.

How to make pumpkin puree with lower moisture?

Do not boil the pumpkin; as simple as that. Many of us tend to boil pumpkin and then smash it just the way they do with potatoes. Unfortunately, this is wrong. Pumpkin is not loaded with starch as potatoes and hence, will flood with water. Instead, cut the pumpkin into large or small pieces, peel the skin and throw the pumpkin slices over a parchment paper on a baking tray. Bake them for 20 minutes until they become softer then transfer them to a blender. You are done.

Ingredients you’ll need for this healthy creamy pumpkin pasta

• Pasta: As mentioned, whether you are using short pasta, fettuccini, tagliatelle, or spaghetti, they all do well. Just make sure to cut the long pasta in half
• Butter: just a spoon to fortify the taste
• Garlic: an essential ingredient that gives a special flavor to the sauce
• Onion: thinly minced. It pairs well with the garlic
• Heavy cream or béchamel sauce: You can go for béchamel sauce if you are looking for fewer calories. I usually prepare it with olive oil instead of butter and oat flour instead of all-purpose flour.
• Milk: to avoid using an additional amount of heavy creamy
• Pumpkin puree: the base of this recipe
• Grated parmesan cheese: this is optional but I highly recommend adding it to the recipe
• Salt & pepper
• Rosemary, oregano, or thyme: the perfect ingredients for this recipe. The flavor they add makes this dish incredibly irresistible.

Make it perfectly light, or even vegan

This healthy creamy pumpkin pasta recipe is not only easy to make but is customizable as well and allows you to tweak it up to your preference.

For the pasta, you can use low-carb pasta such as gluten-free pasta, quinoa, or lentil pasta, or opt for eggless pasta if you want to go vegan.

In our household, we try to reduce the consumption of butter. Therefore, I usually do not add butter to this recipe and substitute it with vegetarian butter or olive oil.

As for the cream, you have several options. You can opt for less fat cream, or use half and half, meaning half the amount of cream and the other half of milk. I once tried using béchamel sauce, made with olive oil, oat flour, and low-fat milk. I kid you not it’s so good.

Some variations to top it up

Make it plain or make it colorful. The choice is yours. 

• Plain: the original recipe with no added ingredients.
• Colorful: add green peas, diced carrots, corn, mushrooms, shrimp, or even chicken or meat strips.

How to make healthy creamy pumpkin pasta:

First things first, cook the pasta al dente as per the instructions on the package. Make sure to save a cup of pasta water to use later when making the sauce if needed.

Then start preparing the sauce by sautéing the garlic, onions, and seasoning with oil or butter. 

Thyme, oregano, and rosemary perfectly pair with pumpkin and boost this recipe with a distinctive aroma. Many pumpkin Alfredo recipes call for the use of sage leaves. I don’t, for two reasons. One is that I am not a sage lover and second that I feel sage with its intense flavor may supersede other flavors in this recipe.

Next, add cream and milk and let simmer then add the pumpkin puree. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

I like to add half the quantity of parmesan with adding the pumpkin puree and sprinkle the rest once I transfer the pumpkin pasta to the serving dish. Finally, add the pasta and toss to combine.

If you have saved some pasta water, then this is the right time to use it to control the thickness of the sauce.

 What to do with leftovers?

Although it is best to eat this dish fresh, you can still pre-heat it in the microwave and have it. You may notice that the sauce may not remain creamy, hence, you can drizzle milk before reheating. 

 Do you like Italian dishes? Check the below suggestions:

•       Pizza sauce with fresh tomatoes
•       Authentic garlic focaccia
•       Ravioli
•      Pasta Carbonara

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