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Pumpkin alfredo pasta is a creamy, rich, and velvety pasta dish that perfectly marries the flavors of Fall and indulgence of a classic Italian favorite. This dish seamlessly blends the creamy decadence a cream sauce with the earthy and sweet undertones of pumpkin. Gather your ingredients and make way for this pumpkin alfredo pasta to be your new Fall favorite!
Ingredients for Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
- Long pasta – any favorite of yours such as fettuccine (as used here), spaghetti, bucatini, linguine, or tagliatelle.
- Butter
- Shallot or onion
- Garlic – fresh garlic gives the best flavor.
- Half and half – you can use heavy cream if you want but half and half is a great balance.
- Pumpkin puree – make sure this is plain and nothing else added to it.
- Maple syrup – this is optional but it adds a little bit more sweetness to the overall sauce which compliments it really well!
- Salt and pepper
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Grated parmesan cheese – this can be fresh or you can use pre-grated.
Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta Variations
Not in the mood for pumpkin? Sweet Potato Alfredo is another take on the rich, creamy classic, along with my Cajun Chicken Alfredo, and Chicken Alfredo Pot Pie.
FAQs
Adding more earthy herbs like fresh thyme and fresh sage would definitely make this dish have even more flavors of Fall!
The pasta water that you reserve will help with this! If you are finding that the sauce is too thick for the amount of pasta, thin it out with the pasta water.
It’s okay, you can use vegetable stock or water to thin it out. The pasta water just has nice starch to it.
Absolutely! Chicken or shrimp would be excellent in this pumpkin alfredo.
Storage Instructions
Allow pasta to cool then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat: we suggest adding in a splash of vegetable broth or milk to loosen it back up since being in the cold will cause the entire sauce to thicken and seize up. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until loosened up and to your desired consistency.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy and mild flavored pasta dish can be served with many dinnertime favorites such as Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets and Lemon Pepper Shrimp.
Or serve the pasta as the main dish and have Easy Garlic Knots on the side or some Extra Garlicky and Cheesy Bread. A Harvest Chopped Salad Bowl would tie all the Fall flavors together!
Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) pasta of choice, cooked according to package directions (fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, bucatini)
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) half and half or heavy cream
- 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup (57 g) salted butter
- ½ cup (80 g) finely diced shallot or yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic
- ¾ cup (75 g) grated parmesan, plus more to top
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 – 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the half and half, pumpkin, maple syrup, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in shallot or onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Add in the pumpkin cream mixture and stir. Bring to a simmer. Add in the cooked pasta and parmesan and use tongs to coat the pasta in sauce.
- If needed, add in reserved pasta to loosen up the sauce.
- Serve warm topped with more parmesan and fresh parsley (for garnish, optional).
