This creamy pasta is the perfect addition to your Fall menu.
Featuring pumpkin puree and fresh sage, this seasonal dish offers an unexpected twist on traditional pasta sauce.
Since I usually associate pumpkin with sweet and spicy baked goods, I was a bit hesitant to use it in a savory meal, but when it’s blended with sauteed onions, almond milk, and spices, it’s transformed into a surprisingly rich and creamy sauce that pairs perfectly with your favorite pasta or cooked vegetables. Our “pasta” of choice is spaghetti squash noodles, but even with traditional pasta, this would make a perfectly combined meal that’s easy to digest.
This savory pumpkin dish has already become a favorite in our house, so I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do!
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Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta (Vegan)
Makes about 2 cups of sauce
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 sprigs fresh sage leaves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pasta or spaghetti squash, for serving
Directions:
If baking a spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 400F. Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds in the center, and place cut-side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast at 400F for 30-45 minutes, until the shell can be easily pierced with a fork. If using traditional noodles, make the sauce first, then cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
For the sauce, melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender. Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender or food processor, and add in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, sage leaves, nutritional yeast and salt.
Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy, and adjust seasonings to taste. When your pasta is ready, transfer it to the skillet, heated again over medium heat, and smother it in the pumpkin sauce. Stir to combine, heating thoroughly, and season again, to taste. (I added more salt to balance out the sweet spaghetti squash noodles.)
Serve piping hot, and garnish with additional nutritional yeast and fresh sage.
Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 a yellow onion , chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 sprigs fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pasta , or veggies, of choice
Instructions
- If baking a spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 400F. Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds in the center, and place cut-side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast at 400F for 30-45 minutes, until the shell can be easily pierced with a fork. If using traditional noodles, make the sauce first, then cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
- For the sauce, melt the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a blender or food processor, and add in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, sage leaves, nutritional yeast and salt.
- Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy, and adjust seasonings to taste.
- When your pasta is ready, transfer it to the skillet, heated again over medium heat, and smother it in the pumpkin sauce. Stir to combine, heating thoroughly, and season again, to taste. (I added more salt to balance out the sweet spaghetti squash noodles.)
- Serve piping hot, and garnish with additional nutritional yeast and fresh sage.
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 183, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrates: 18g, Fiber: 7g, Protein: 8g
Store any leftover sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
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For those of you joining in on the “I Quit Sugar” challenge, what are your favorite savory Fall dishes? Let’s share ideas in the comments section, to keep everyone inspired and motivated!
This looks perfect! I love spaghetti squash pastas! I always find them so filling! Great recipe!
Oh that recipe sounds so yummy! I gravitate to roasted veggies and sweet potatoes as Fall arrives. Jen @ Existential Evolution
Soups are my favorite. Carrot ginger soup and creamy cauliflower are so yummy!
Of all my herbs, sage was the most prolific this summer. This looks like the perfect way to eat through my winter squashes. 🙂
yum! i just roasted a spaghetti squash yesterday but i topped mine with sweet white miso and tahini sauce 🙂
Great recipe! The only time I usually use sage is in the stuffing for turkey, so this is a great way to try it in another dish! My favorite savory dishes for fall would probably be warming recipes, like bean soups, chili, and casseroles.
Perfect timing! I just picked up a spaghetti squash from whole foods! Making this TONIGHT!
I’ve been eyeing these two savory recipes lately and am definitely going to be making them during IQS challenge!
Aloo Gobi: http://paleomg.com/leftovers-aloo-gobi/
Chickpea, Sundried Tomato, Chicken Soup: http://fitnessista.com/2012/08/soups-on/
Spaghetti Squash Sesame Noodles: http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2012/01/02/spaghetti-squash-sesame-noodles-recipe/
Paleo Creamy Pumpkin Chicken Casserole: http://paleomg.com/paleo-pumpkin-cream-chicken-casserole/
I made that paleOMG creamy pumpkin chicken two weeks ago and really liked it. It was one of the first “meat” meals I have made in 6 years of eating vegetarian, and this “creamy pasta” recipe reminded me of it. I will have to try that aloo gobi one too.
yum!! !
Yum! Thank you so much! 🙂
only thing missing from this sauce is protein 🙁
Most sauces don’t contain protein, but you could easily add any protein of your choice to complete this meal!
Actually nutritional yeast has protein in it…9 grams per 2 tbsp. I was really excited when I learned that! 🙂
This look so good!! I can’t wait to try soon 🙂 do you think the almond milk could be substituted for canned coconut milk? Or would that make the sauce too thick? Just curious! Thanks for your great recipes!
The canned coconut milk may change the flavor a bit, but I’m sure it would be delicious, too!
“I was a bit hesitant to use it in a savory meal” – hahaha, here in Australia most people I know would be VERY hesitant to use pumpkin in something sweet! This sauce looks delish, I think subbing in coconut milk or cream would be heavenly, I’ll have to try it! 🙂
Do you have a cook book? My print out paper recipes are getting messy. LOL
Ha! Nope, no cookbook yet. 😉
This may serve 2-4 people but one person may have just consumed the entire thing! So good. Love the pumpkin sauce and this will definitely be a repeat recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks great! I have no creativity for sauces. I can’t wait to try this.
Just made this tonight — very yummy! Added some cinnamon and nutmeg which made it extra “fall-like” 🙂
Yay! So good. I’ve made it twice already and has won the approval of all my vegan-phobes.
I’m not familiar with nutritional yeast. Will it aggravate a systemic yeast condition? Can the nutritional yeast be omitted?
Thanks.
I made this tonight but I used roasted garlic instead of minced, parmesan cheese, and I added applewood smoked bacon, my goodness it was delicious.
I love the sound of this! I want to try subbing chicken stock for the almond milk. To make this gaps intro friendly. Why the nutritional yeast? Nutritional benefits, thickening agent, or something else? I don’t know when that is allowed in the gaps diet.
I added the nutritional yeast for extra flavor, but it would probably be fine without it!
I also had a question about nutritional yeast…would it aggravate a Candida sufferer?
Also, because I a) am too lazy to cook spaghetti squash and b) don’t have any, could I put this sauce over raw spiralized zucchini noodles?
Nutritional yeast is deactivated, so it does not contribute to candida. It would probably taste delicious over any noodles you like!
I just made this for lunch and followed the recipe exactly. Let me tell you, this was AMAZING! I’m hypoglycemic so regular pasta is a no-go for me. This was creamy, filling and delicious. The only thing I did different was add some red pepper before eating. Thank you so much for this delicious, hypoglycemic friendly recipe! 🙂
This was great! I had a lot of oregano in my garden, so I added a bit of that to the sauce. I also used grated parmesan-asiago cheese instead of nutritional yeast in both the sauce and as a topping. I added a splash of dry white wine to add a bit of flavor too. As long as pumpkin season lasts, I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
I made this on Saturday and we loved the sauce although I am finding my squash ends up a little watery so the pasta was a bit runny. Any tips on how to avoid that?
Just made this for dinner tonight and hubs and I both thought it was delish! I added a can of rinsed/drained great northern beans for extra protein and served over brown rice pasta because hubs HATES spaghetti squash. Unfortunately 2 out of 3 kiddos hated it, the one who ate it only thought it was ok enough to eat so she could have some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Overall, I will still likely make this dish again because the adults loved it and it was SO ridiculously easy and quick to make, who knows maybe the kiddos will learn to like it. Thanks!
Made this recipe for lunch today and it was perfect for the cold winter weather we’ve been having. I had mine with spaghetti squash, my husband had traditional pasta. Both were lovely and I will definitely be pumpkin shopping to make this again and try some of your other pumpkin recipes.
This was so delicious that I kept going back for more!!! I decided that I like this pumpkin sauce much better than tomato sauce. Thanks for sharing :)!
I couldn’t find the sprigs of Sage but I have ground rubbed sage. How much would I use for this recipe? Thanks!
Can anyone suggest a good protein to add in? My boyfriend is a meat eater and I am not. I’ve made this before but so long ago that I don’t remember what it really tastes like so it’s hard to pick which meat to throw in. Especially now that I can’t try it. I was thinking grilled chicken sausage. He doesn’t eat pork
Hello! I also have a question about the nutritional yeast. I saw a documentary recently, and did some research online afterward, that mentioned MSG and all the names it goes under. One of them was nutritional yeast! Does this mean all nutritional yeast is actually just MSG or at least contains it??
my sage went bad, how much dried (ground or rubbed, i have both) would u use in place of 2 springs?
Great recipe! So delicious. I didn’t have any fresh sage so I used dried, but it still tasted great.
This recipe is so simple, and so tasty! It is out of my realm of what I typically eat, and I was delighted in something so different for a nice change.