I know that this may sound odd, but I can 100% admit that I have made this pasta three times already this Fall! The pumpkin puree is so creamy, think of this sauce as almost a penne a la vodka sauce - but with a sweeter twist! Plus, you truthfully cannot taste a lot of the pumpkin and (with that orange color) you could almost pass this as Mac 'n Cheese to kids... The added bonus? I converted the sauce to guarantee it stays 100% dairy-free, but stays 100% creamy!
What You Need:
8 ounces of any long noodles
1 tbl. @earthbalance butter
1 tbl. all-purpose unbleached flour
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups @fairlife milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 ounces @greenvalleycreamery cream cheese
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of chili powder
Cooking:
Bring a large pot of water to boil & cook the pasta *just to* al dente, 8-10 min. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain pasta, set aside.
In a separate pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once sizzling, add flour, then whisk until it turns brown (smells nutty). Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk, a few splashes at a time, whisking constantly to smooth any lumps. Increase the heat to medium-high, then let cook, stirring constantly, until sauce bubbles and thickens (about 8-10 minutes).
Remove pan from the heat, stir in the pumpkin, cream cheese, salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and chili powder. Whisk until all lumps are gone and the cream cheese has melted.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and combine. Thin the pasta with the reserved pasta water, as needed if it seems too thick. Serve immediately.
