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Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta

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This Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta is deliciously creamy and cozy. It's perfect for an easy pasta dinner on a cold fall or winter night.

A large white serving bowl with Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta topped with sage and shaved cheese on top. Its on a stone table surrounded by small grey bowls of pasta, a wood paddle of sliced bread with rosemary and a small grey vase with 2 orange roses in the background with other trinkets with a brown splatter background.

This Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta is comforting like mac and cheese but with a fall twist. It’s the perfect way to warm up on a chilly evening. We cook up onion, garlic, spices and herbs in a brown butter. Blend with pumpkin, ricotta and pasta water and toss in your pasta. Now, you have a creamy pasta with cozy autumn flavors. The sauce is rich and nutty, with bold herb flavors from the sage and thyme.

This complex fall flavors would make this a show-stopping vegetarian side dish for even special occasions dinners like Thanksgiving or as easy meatless Monday meal. If you're looking for even more fall dishes you have to make my Truffle Honey Baked Brie and my Green Chile Cheddar Butter Swimming Biscuits.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

  • Easy recipe with delicious fall flavors
  • Ready in under 40 minutes
  • Comforting and delicious
Two hands picking up a white serving bowl of Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta with shaved cheese and fresh sage leaves. In the cement table, pinecones are spread out and other trinkets are in the background.

Ingredients Notes

Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta Ingredients on a white marble background. Each item is labeled with a dark red rectangle box with white text in all caps.
  • Olive Oil - For cooking, I use olive oil to saute. Avocado oil or vegetable oil will work as well.
  • Onion + Garlic - To add flavor to our pasta sauce. Use fresh onion and garlic for best flavor!
  • Sage + Thyme -  These herbs work so well with pumpkin. It's earthy taste compliments so well. Use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
  • Unsalted Butter - used to make our brown butter.
  • Milk Powder (optional) - we add to create even more caramelized milk bits in the brown butter.
  • Pumpkin - Use a pure pumpkin puree for this recipe. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugars and spices which wouldn’t work in this recipe.
  • Ricotta - I am a big fan of whole milk ricotta. For the best flavor, it is definitely what I recommend. But you can use a lower fat version if desired.
  • Pasta - I recommend using your favorite medium-sized shell like a rigatoni, penne, bow tie or macaroni shells. I used cavatappi.
  • Pasta Water - Used to slightly thin our sauce. Vegetable, chicken, beef or bone broth can be used instead.
  • Salt, Pepper and Chili Flakes - to season our pasta sauce/ be used to your personal taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

A white plate with sliced onions, fresh sage, 3 crushed garlic and pulled thyme. The plate sits on a white marble table. In the upper left corner is a '1' in a dark red circle.
  1. Prep ingredients - slice onions, pull thyme + sage, and crush garlic. Begin boiling water to cook pasta.
A small red dutch oven on the stove with sliced onions and oil. In the upper left corner is a '2' in a dark red circle.
  1. Cook Onions - In a large pot or large skillet, add olive oil and heat over high-medium heat. Add in sliced onion and cook until slightly tender.
A small red dutch oven on the stove with sliced onions, oil, fresh sage and thyme, crushed garlic, pepper and chili flakes. In the upper left corner is a '3' in a dark red circle.
  1. Add-in Seasonings - Add in garlic, thyme and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and garlic becomes slightly brown.
A small red dutch oven on the stove with sliced onions, oil, fresh sage and thyme, crushed garlic, pepper and chili flakes all mixed together with lots of butter bubbling. A red silicone spatula mixing the onions together. In the upper left corner is a '4' in a dark red circle.
  1. Brown Butter + Cook Pasta - Add in butter with milk powder and stir with a silicone spatula continuously. The mixture should foam up and only turn off the heat once you see golden brown flecks on the bottom of the pan. Around this time, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. SAVE 1.5 cups pasta water and set aside.
A small red dutch oven on the stove with sliced onions, oil, fresh sage and thyme, crushed garlic, pepper and chili flakes all mixed together with pumpkin puree. A red silicone spatula mixing the onions together. In the upper left corner is a '5' in a dark red circle.
  1. Add Pumpkin - Add in pumpkin puree and quickly stir until ingredients are distributed.
A blender with the lid off with a light orange pumpkin ricotta sauce on a black background. In the upper left corner is a '6' in a dark red circle.
  1. Blend Sauce - Add the pumpkin mixture, ricotta, salt, pepper, chili flakes, nutmeg and ½ cup of pasta water to high powered blender or food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until sauce is smooth and velvety. Add additional pasta water a few tablespoons at a time if needed to get desired consistency.
An overhead of a large white serving bowl with handles with pumpkin ricotta pasta topped with fresh sage and shaved cheese. It's on a grey cement table and small grey stone bowls with pasta are surrounding with a wooden paddle with sliced bread, rosemary tied with twine and an oval wooden bowl with cheese and a small wood spoon. In the upper left corner is a '7' in a dark red circle.
  1. Toss + Serve - Add pasta sauce to pasta back on heat until pasta is hot. Taste, re-season as needed. Serve and enjoy. Optionally, top with parmesan cheese.

Expert Tips

  • Cook the pasta in salted water - adds flavor but helps glue the pasta and sauce together; it will also help thicken the sauce.
  • Reverse pasta cooking water - the starch in the water helps the sauce cling to the pasta and will help create our pasta sauce and adds additional flavor.
  • Don't overcook the pasta - pasta should be cooked al dente as it will cook when drained and tossed in the pumpkin ricotta sauce.
  • Add vegetables or protein for a more filling dish - you can cook up some vegetables like mushrooms or spinach or crisp up pancetta to make the pasta more filling.
  • Carefully watch the brown butter - Do not leave the butter unattended as you need to continually stir to make sure that the butter does not burn. It is very easy to burn the butter as it will turn from amber to burnt in a matter of seconds. Burnt butter has an almost bitter taste, whereas browned butter will taste rich and nutty. You'll know if you have burned the butter if there are BLACK specks instead of amber/brown flecks. I recommend once you get the brown butter you serve to immediately turn off the heat and add in pumpkin and stir to help cool down the mixture.
An overhead of a large white serving bowl with handles with pumpkin ricotta pasta topped with fresh sage and shaved cheese. It's on a grey cement table and small grey stone bowls with pasta are surrounding with a wooden paddle with sliced bread, rosemary tied with twine and an oval wooden bowl with cheese and a small wood spoon.

Recipe FAQ

What do you serve it with?

Serve this creamy pumpkin pasta with some freshly grated parmesan for a delicious bowl of comfort. It’s great to serve up with breads, veggies or a side salad. Try it with:
Trader Joe's Crudité Platter
Frozen Toasted Ravioli in Air Fryer
BLT Wedge Salad with Heart Croutons

How long does it keep?

As with all pasta dishes, this is best served as soon as it’s made, though leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an air tight container. The pasta can easily be reheated on the stovetop or microwave. You can make the pasta sauce ahead of time and keep it refrigerated, then just cook up the pasta, warm up the sauce and toss everything together.

What is pure pumpkin puree?

Pure pumpkin puree is 100% pureed pumpkin. It looks similar, but should NOT be confused with pumpkin pie filling, which is full of sugar, cinnamon, and other flavors for making pumpkin pie. Make sure to look at the ingredients label on the can and pumpkin should be the only ingredient.

Alternative to a high-powered blender?

I use a vitamix that is a high-powered blender. Alternatively, you could use a regular blender just know you might need to add more pasta water to help the pasta sauce blender and use a fine-mesh sieve to remove any large chunks, herbs that were not blended. Or, use a large food processor.

Why does my pumpkin/pasta have a metallic like taste?

Pumpkin from a can, can sometimes have a metallic taste. It's why I add the pumpkin to the pan with the brown butter as it absorbs the flavors and slightly cooks from the residual heat. However, you can cook it longer if needed.

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An overhead of a large white serving bowl with handles with pumpkin ricotta pasta topped with fresh sage and shaved cheese. It's on a grey cement table and small grey stone bowls with pasta are surrounding with a wooden paddle with sliced bread, rosemary tied with twine and an oval wooden bowl with cheese and a small wood spoon.

Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta

Mara
This Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta recipe is the BEST comforting autumn dinner. Made with pure pumpkin, sage, thyme, ricotta and pasta of your choice, this vegetarian dinner recipe comes together quickly and easily. Put this meal together in under 40 minutes for a new fall favorite!
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 599 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound medium pasta of your choice
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
  • 1.5 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk powder optional
  • 15 ounces pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup pasta water I recommend saving about 1.5 cups total and use more as needed to create sauce texture of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Prep ingredients - slice onions, pull thyme + sage, and crush garlic. Begin boiling water to cook pasta.
  • Cook Onions - In a large pot or large skillet, add olive oil and heat over high-medium heat. Add in sliced onion and cook until slightly tender.
  • Add-in Seasonings - Add in garlic, thyme and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and garlic becomes slightly brown.
  • Brown Butter + Cook Pasta - Add in butter with milk powder and stir with a silicone spatula continuously. The mixture should foam up and only turn off the heat once you see golden brown flecks on the bottom of the pan. Around this time, cook pasta al dente according to package directions. SAVE 1.5 cups pasta water and set aside.
  • Add Pumpkin - Add in pumpkin puree and quickly stir until ingredients are distributed.
  • Blend Sauce - Add the pumpkin mixture, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, chili flakes, nutmeg and ½ cup of pasta water to high powered blender or food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes until sauce is smooth and velvety. Add additional pasta water a few tablespoons at a time if needed to get desired consistency.
  • Toss + Serve - Add pasta sauce to pasta back on heat until pasta is hot. Taste, re-season as needed. Serve and enjoy. Optionally, top with parmesan cheese.

Notes

Cook the pasta in salted water - adds flavor but helps glue the pasta and sauce together; it will also help thicken the sauce.
Reverse pasta cooking water - the starch in the water helps the sauce cling to the pasta and will help create our pasta sauce and adds additional flavor.
Don't overcook the pasta - pasta should be cooked al dente as it will cook when drained and tossed in the pumpkin ricotta sauce.
Add vegetables or protein for a more filling dish - you can cook up some vegetables like mushrooms or spinach or crisp up pancetta to make the pasta more filling.
Carefully watch the brown butter - Do not leave the butter unattended as you need to continually stir to make sure that the butter does not burn. It is very easy to burn the butter as it will turn from amber to burnt in a matter of seconds. Burnt butter has an almost bitter taste, whereas browned butter will taste rich and nutty. You'll know if you have burned the butter if there are BLACK specks instead of amber/brown flecks. I recommend once you get the brown butter you serve to immediately turn off the heat and add in pumpkin and stir to help cool down the mixture.
Why does my pumpkin/pasta have a metallic like taste? Pumpkin from a can, can sometimes have a metallic taste. It's why I add the pumpkin to the pan with the brown butter as it absorbs the flavors and slightly cooks from the residual heat. However, you can cook it longer if needed.
 
Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1004IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Curious cook says

    You did not really explain where to add the cheese in the recipe steps.....

    Reply

    • Mara says

      Hi Curious Cook, I sincerely apologize for that mistake! I just update the recipe to also list the ricotta cheese when blending the sauce together! Have a wonderful week!

      Reply

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