This is a creamy, one-pot, vegan pumpkin sauce pasta casserole. The beautiful orange colour of the pasta blends perfectly with the pumpkin season making it my favourite fall recipe.
This is the easiest pumpkin sauce pasta recipe. It requires only a handful of staple ingredients, an instant pot, and 20 minutes of your time.
The mundane pumpkin puree transforms into a bowl of fulfilling deliciousness with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of coconut milk.
Reasons to LOVE Pumpkin Pasta Recipe
- vegan and vegetarian
- cheese and nut-free
- possible gluten-free (use GF pasta)
- easy to cook, one-pot pasta casserole
- requires only 10 minutes of cooking time
Ingredients Required
Pumpkin Puree: Follow my tips to make pumpkin puree at home from scratch or use a canned one. Do not use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree.
Tomato Sauce: I use my homemade marinara style sauce.
Coconut Milk: Use coconut cream or milk instead of regular dairy-based products to make a luscious pumpkin sauce.
Vegetable Stock: It gives flavour to the sauce. Or use 1 stock cube dissolved in 1 cup of warm water.
Fresh Herbs: From sage, thyme, and rosemary, to fresh basil, you can pick either of these herbs to add to the pumpkin sauce.
Other Ingredients: Onion, Garlic, Salt, Olive Oil
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
It is easy to make pumpkin puree at home. The same puree you can use to make pumpkin soup or spiced cake.
Follow the oven method or stovetop one to make smooth, luscious, flavoursome, and gluten-free pumpkin puree at home.
Oven Method: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Place the pumpkin slices in a baking tray. Place 2 – 3 sprigs of rosemary along with a whole garlic pod between pumpkin slices. Sprinkle salt and drizzle 2 – 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the pumpkin slices.
Bake pumpkin for 20 minutes on each side. Check using a fork if the pumpkin flesh is tender. You can also roast them in an air fryer, as I do for my roasted pumpkin salad. Baking time may vary, depending upon the size and variety of the pumpkin. So check after the first 20 minutes.
Once roasted, scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin. Discard the skin. Grind the roasted pumpkin pulp along with garlic cloves to a smooth puree.
Stovetop Method: Drizzle oil in a cast-iron skillet or a pan. Add pumpkin slices and season with salt and crushed garlic. Cook on each side till fork tender. Discard skin, allow to cool, and blend to a smooth puree.
The Perfect Pasta Choice
My favourite ones are the penne and shell pasta. The sauce fills inside their shape, making each bite of pasta so juicy.
Or the long thread-like pasta such as spaghetti, tagliatelle, or fettuccine holds this rich pumpkin sauce perfectly.
Additional Vegetables
Here are a few vegetables that can make your pumpkin pasta more wholesome, colourful, and fulfilling:
Spinach Leaves, Kale
Sauteed wild mushrooms
Cherry Tomato or sun-dried tomato
Roasted and diced butternut squash, zucchini
How To Make
Making pumpkin pasta in an instant pot is a simple two-step process – Saute and Pressure Cook.
Saute Mode: Set the SAUTE Mode of IP for 5 minutes. Once the pot sets the timer, add olive oil, finely chopped garlic, and onion. Saute for 10 – 20 seconds. Next, add pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, salt, and seasoning, and stir to mix.
Add coconut milk, vegetable stock, and uncooked pasta. Stir to combine. Taste the liquid and add more seasoning if required.
Pressure Cook: Close the lid of the IP. Set the pressure valve to the sealing position. Set PRESSURE Cook mode for 5 minutes. After the set time, release the steam manually, and open the lid. Add fresh herbs, and the pumpkin pasta is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
The best way to enjoy a creamy bowl of pumpkin pasta is with homemade focaccia bread and a light, leafy salad on the side.
You can pack this creamy pasta for school or office lunchbox. It is so easy to reheat and carry around.
This pumpkin sauce pasta also makes a great potluck casserole for the fall season.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
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Instant Pot Pumpkin Pasta Recipe
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 200- gram penne pasta
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Cup pumpkin puree
- ½ Cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- ¼ Cup pizza/pasta sauce (see recipe here)
- 1 Cup coconut milk
- 1 Cup vegetable stock
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon oregano or thyme
Instructions
- Set the SAUTE Mode of IP for 5 minutes. Once the pot sets the timer, add olive oil, finely chopped garlic, and onion. Saute for 10 – 20 seconds to release the aroma of garlic.
- Next, add pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, salt, seasoning, and stir to mix.
- Add coconut milk, vegetable stock, and uncooked pasta. Stir to combine. Taste, the liquid and add more seasoning or salt if required.
- Close the lid of IP. Set pressure valve to sealing position. Set PRESSURE Cook mode for 5 minutes. After the set time, release the steam manually, and open the lid. Check pasta for doneness.
- Add fresh herbs, stir to combine, and pumpkin pasta is ready to serve.
- Serve instant pot pumpkin pasta with toasted bread slices and a salad.
Recipe Notes:
- Taste the canned pumpkin puree and then add salt in the pasta accordingly. Don’t forget to check the label of canned puree to make sure it’s vegan and gluten-free
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree.
- In 5 minutes Pressure Cook mode you will get the al dente pasta. If you like to cook it slightly more, set the time 6 – 8 minutes.
- If the pasta is less saucy/creamy for your liking add ¼ Cup thick coconut cream in the end.
- In place of coconut milk, you can use almond milk or cashew milk as well.
Nutrition
Rachael says
SO SO good! My husband requested it 3 nights in a row – LOL! ???? I didn’t have onion or tomato so I left that out and subbed sage, rosemary and fresh basil for the herbs. Creamy and perfectly delicious. Making this AGAIN this weekend for my in-laws!
Hina Gujral says
I am so glad that you and your family loved the pumpkin pasta. It is my personal favorite as well.
J says
New to non-dairy. Would oat-milk work in place of coconut milk in this?
Hina Gujral says
I would not suggest oat milk in this recipe. You can add cashew milk or almond milk.
C says
Tried this yesterday and it turned out delightful! Glad I found a good recipe for savory pumpkin. I did the recipe exact and also made the homemade tomato sauce listed in the recipe. Tons of onion and garlic flavour which was good. Can’t taste the pumpkin at all, which I was totally fine with. Used coconut milk which didn’t over power the recipe. The only thing I didn’t do as I didn’t have any on hand was use the fresh herbs (used dried and didnt top with the fresh herbs at the end either, which would have been prettier). Still tasted great! Would pair well with some garlic bread 🙂
This recipe is for sure bookmarked! Thanks 😀
Hina Gujral says
thanks a million for your feedback. You made my day with this detailed experience. Try it next time with fresh herbs. You will love it.