Creamy pumpkin pasta recipe ready in 20 minutes with savory sauce

Bon Appetit published a creamy pumpkin pasta recipe that uses canned pumpkin purée combined with garlic, Parmesan, and lemon zest to create a savory sauce. The recipe is designed for a quick dinner, ready in about 20 minutes, making it suitable for weeknight meals.

The sauce base is built by cooking finely chopped onion and garlic with crushed red pepper flakes for heat. The pumpkin purée is then added and warmed through, followed by heavy cream to round out the sauce's texture and flavor. The recipe recommends using unsweetened canned pumpkin purée rather than sweetened pumpkin pie filling.

For pasta, the recipe suggests medium tube-shaped varieties like rigatoni, penne, or calamarata, which help catch the sauce well. It also advises reserving some pasta cooking water to help the sauce coat the noodles evenly.

Additional tips include adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes for desired spiciness and adding browned Italian sausage or crispy chickpeas for a heartier dish. Some readers have adapted the recipe with dairy-free alternatives like cashew cream and nutritional yeast, finding the results delicious.

The recipe emphasizes simplicity by avoiding peeling, roasting, or blending pumpkin, and cooking the sauce simultaneously while the pasta boils, streamlining preparation for busy cooks.