I was skeptical of this vegan pumpkin pasta during the testing phase. Anytime I’ve tried it before, it turned out too sweet. The thing is, in previous iterations, I tried it with almond or coconut milk, or non-dairy cheese, or blended cashews – all bad ideas. Those tend to make already sweet pumpkin into a dessert instead of a main.
In this case, vegetable broth, olive oil, and lemon juice make up the base of the sauce along with the roasted pumpkin. Adding a little pasta water, what’s left after cooking the pasta, is the secret here. The starchiness keeps the sauce creamy without adding any unwanted sweetness.
This recipe was inspired by my pumpkin & mushroom shepherd’s pie. Essentially, I wanted the same thing in pasta form, because it’s awesome. And although I love some butternut squash mac and cheese, this is a bit more refined and less “give me carbs right now” kind of thing. Both good, just different.
To keep the mushrooms from getting rubbery, they’re roasted instead of pan-fried, along with garlic, spices, and herbs. The garlic is blended into the sauce. Then the pasta, sauce, and roasted mushrooms get mixed up along with a little rucola, and that’s it!
You can cook the mushrooms while the pasta cooks and everything is cooked in about 20 minutes. With pretty minimal prep time you’re about 30 minutes away from having pumpkin pasta on the table.
For some more speedy pasta recipes, try my hummus pasta, summery super green pasta, or easy dairy-free pesto.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pasta: I always use spelt pasta. For a gluten-free option, use a good GF pasta like red lentil (which will also boost the protein content).
- Mushrooms: these aren’t mandatory and can be left out if you prefer, but they do add an additional savoury note to the dish.
- Garlic: you’re roasting the garlic in the oven, so it adds a nice garlic flavour without being overwhelming. I don’t recommend subbing raw garlic.
- Rucola: aka rocket or arugula. Substitute baby spinach or any other baby hardy greens like chard here.
Recipe Notes
You can use pre-made pumpkin puree for the sauce. I’ve never tried this with canned pumpkin (we can’t get it here) and I think it might change the taste a lot.
This vegan cream cheese, even though it’s made with cashews, is quite neutral tasting. So if you do want to add another creamy note, you could stir some of this into the sauce.
How to Store
Storage: the sauce can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. The pasta will soften and soak up the sauce as it’s stored, so it’s fine, but not great.
Freezing: the pumpkin sauce can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Choose a good pumpkin: a variety that contains less water, like hokkaido, is perfect for this recipe. You want a very flavourful pumpkin or winter squash so that it carries through the sauce.
- Season to taste: the salt listed in the recipe is what I would consider the minimum amount, and you should taste and add seasoning as needed for your personal preference. This goes for the acidity level as well.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Salad
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry
If you make this Vegan Pumpkin Pasta or any other vegetarian main dishes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
Description
Ingredients
- 200 grams (2 cups) mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic skin on
- 2-3 teaspoons sage leaves minced
- 1 teaspoon rosemary minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 500 grams (18 oz) pasta 1 whole package
- 60 grams (2 cups) rucola or other baby greens
- 1 handful walnuts broken into small pieces
Pumpkin Sauce
- 400 grams (2 cups) pumpkin puree
- 3 cloves roasted garlic roasted with the mushrooms
- 180 ml (¾ cup) vegetable broth
- 125 ml (½ cup) pasta water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice 1 lemon ~3 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the mushrooms, garlic, herbs, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper onto a large baking sheet and mix until the mushrooms are coated.200 grams (2 cups) mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic, 2-3 teaspoons sage leaves, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Roast for 18-20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are golden. While the mushrooms are in the oven, cook your pasta in well salted water according to package instructions. Make sure to reserve ½ cup of the water when you drain the pasta.500 grams (18 oz) pasta
- To serve, add the sauce, mushrooms, and rucola into the pot with the hot pasta. Stir to coat, and serve hot, with walnuts if desired.60 grams (2 cups) rucola, 1 handful walnuts
Pumpkin Sauce
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend on high speed until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Taste and season further if needed.400 grams (2 cups) pumpkin puree, 3 cloves roasted garlic, 180 ml (¾ cup) vegetable broth, 125 ml (½ cup) pasta water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Juice 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Yum, my pumpkin wasn’t very pumpkiny so I added a sweet potato, nooch and hemp seeds.
I really wanted to like this recipe. We’re into autumn now here in Australia and I have been craving a pumpkin based pasta for a few weeks. Also thought it might be a good cheap addition to the meal rotation. Unfortunately I just found this fairly bland. I might try it again but cutting the pumpkin into smaller cubes when I roast it… and see if that helps.
Hi Rachel, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love the recipe! Unfortunately the pumpkin does need to be quite flavourful or the dish can suffer a bit. I hope you try again : )
Is the 400g the weight of the puree or the pumpkin? How much whole pumpkin makes 2cups of puree?
400 grams / 2 cups is the amount of puree needed. 1/2 a medium pumpkin should make about as much as you need, but extra can be used in plenty of different recipes.
Do you make your own pumpkin puree? Would you please give instructions for that? Great recipe, autumn on a plate! : )
I do! I just slice a pumpkin in half and roast, cut side down, on a lined baking tray for about 40 minutes at 200C. It depends on the size of the pumpkin, until fork soft. Then scoop out the seeds, set aside, scoop out the flesh, mash, and there you have it! I could do a full post about it, though.
Is this a dish that reheats well?
Hi Katie! I think it does, and just reheat it on the stove with a splash of nondairy milk. The noodles do tend to soak up a bit of the sauce overnight though so it won’t be as saucy.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Added some roasted butternut squash with the mushrooms and omitted the oil from the pumpkin sauce and it still tasted great!
I’m so happy to hear that, thanks Jen!