Happy Hump Day.
I am in one of those moods where all I want to do is lie in bed in my favorite sweatpants (which happen to be maternity sweats from my first pregnancy- no judgment please), watch reality tv marathons, On-demand movies and eat pasta.
Don’t worry. I’m not depressed, I am just trying to adjust my mind set for Seattle winter, which may indeed be starting this weekend. Typically it looks like 9 months of rain, so you really have to have comfortable sweats, you know?
So, due to my carb-tastic, pumpkiny mood lately, I bring you this luscious, velvety smooth and delicious pasta: Creamy Pumpkin Fettuccine.
I roasted fresh sugar pumpkins and whisked it into the cream sauce and tossed with fettuccine for a most comforting fall dish. I also toasted the seeds from the inside of the pumpkin and used those as garnish. Consider it- it added a wonderful salty crunch to the pasta.
Serve this up with a green salad and you have a very easy and delicious dinner!
To make it, this is what you do:
For the Roasted Pumpkin Puree:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees: Slice a sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds (I like to save for roasting!) Place the pumpkin halves on a sheet pan, face up. Top each pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Roast the pumpkin for 1 hour at 400 degrees.
Let cool and then separate the flesh from the skin.
Put the pumpkin flesh in the bowl of a food processor and puree until pretty smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put the fettuccine in to cook to al dente according to manufacturers directions.
Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer with the pinch of nutmeg, letting it cook and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.
Whisk in the roasted pumpkin puree until the cream and pumpkin form a smooth sauce.
Whisk in 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt.
Drain the fettuccine pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta water, and put it back in the pot it was cooked in. Toss the pasta with the creamy pumpkin sauce. If it feels to thick add a tablespoon at a time of the pasta water.
Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Fettuccini
Ingredients
- -1 lb Fettuccini
- -1 cup roasted pumpkin puree
- -1 cup cream
- -2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- -pinch of nutmeg
- -Kosher salt
- Roasted Pumpkin:
- -1 sugar pumpkin
- -2 Tbs butter
- -kosher salt
Instructions
- For the Roasted Pumpkin Puree:
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees: Slice a sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds (I like to save for roasting!) Place the pumpkin halves on a sheet pan, face up.
- 2. Top each pumpkin with 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast the pumpkin for 1 hour at 400 degrees.
- 3. Let cool and then separate the flesh from the skin. Put the pumpkin flesh in the bowl of a food processor and puree until pretty smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put the fettuccini in to cook to al dente according to manufacturers directions.
- 5. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer with the pich of nutmeg, letting it cook and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.
- 6. Whisk in the roasted pumpkin puree until the cream and pumpkin form a smooth sauce.
- 7. Whisk in 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt.
- 8. Drain the fettuccine pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta water, and put it back in the pot it was cooked in. Toss the pasta with the creamy pumpkin sauce. If it feels to thick add a tablespoon at a time of the pasta water.
- 9. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time:
Number of servings (yield): 4
Print Recipe
Heather, can you read my mind? This is like heaven in a bowl. Congrats on your new show!
Thanks so much Laura! If I on;y knew when it was starting!
YUM, Heather! This looks marvelous!
Thanks Robin- major comfort food 🙂
I’ll take a HUGE bowl of this pumpkin pasta with extra cheese!
What an awesome combination of flavors!
Thank you so much Russell!
I want to make this now! I’m almost sad we are leaving out of town for three days because I won’t be able to make this. Next week for sure! Beautiful pics as usual!
Thank you so much Jaynie! Hopefully you can make it when you get back!
Mmm what a delight!
What a creative dish. Love it!
Thanks so much Carrie!
A lot of pumpkins nowadays don’t seem to have much flavor. I imagine this would be just as great using butternut squash if you couldn’t find a good pumpkin to use, no?
That pumpkin has lots of vitamins in it, Heather, so it’s really health food if you look at it that way. No worries – I hear sweatpants are making a comeback!
Kelley- thank you for the soothing sweatpants comments 🙂 Butternut squash would be a fantastic substitute for pumpkin!
Ugh, I live in the Seattle area too, and I have to say I am really dreading winter this year. We’ve been so spoiled these past three months. You’re darn right about the sweat pants (nothing wrong with yours, it’s all about the comfy)! Fuzzy socks too, please.
I’m so in love with pumpkin-y pasta dishes right now. This one looks so simple; love all the Parmesan!
Ooooh yes to the fuzzy socks. I always get a fresh jumbo pack of costco fuzzy socks before the rain starts- good reminder!
This pasta looks delish, yet still simple to make. I just love the fall flavors!
Thanks so much Kari!
I know what you mean! Cold weather and rain definitely warrant comfy sweats or yoga pants with thick socks.
I love that the pumpkin in this recipe is not out of a can!
Lol, that is totally how I felt today, but I went out in the rain instead. I did make a huge bowl of pasta, but I’m now wishing I had seen your recipe first.
Looks great. Do you think the sauce csn be made ahead of time, refrigerated and then used when ready? Or how about leftovers? Would the sauce become clumpy?
I have done both and the sauce was just great. I would just add a little extra cream or some of the hot water that the pasta is cooked in to get everything smooth and creamy again!
I never would have put these flavors together – unitl now! This looks delicious!
Heather – I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Even my meat loving husband liked it! Plus, lunch for me today! Thanks for the beautifully simple recipe!
Wish I had some of this when I was up in SEA — it certainly was some chilly weather!