Apparently it’s carb week! Don’t be scared by that, or by the fact that this carb involves pumpkin 🙂
This week we got hooked up with some pasta products to test out. Along with the food there were a few recipes and one of them was a ravioli with pumpkin alfredo. I didn’t have a lot of the ingredients (including the container of alfredo they sent because I already ate it! Kind of a main ingredient…) but the idea of a pumpkin cream sauce intrigued me so I took the basic idea and went with it. I used my guiltless alfredo sauce, and it worked perfectly. If the idea of mixing pumpkin into a creamy sauce freaks you out, don’t worry- it’s a really mild flavor, but just enough to be interesting and give it a great color. If you’re a big pumpkin fan like I am, you could add a little more. I loved this, and so did my husband and my kids.I paired it with whole wheat 4-cheese ravioli. I thought the whole wheat was a perfect harvest-y thing to go with such a harvest-y dish.
Pasta with Pumpkin Alfredo
1 Package Fresh Pasta
1/2 batch Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
(or 10oz prepared Alfredo)
1/2 T real butter
1/4 C Finely minced onion
1/2 C canned pumpkin (try more if you love pumpkin, this is really mild)
2 T Chicken broth (vegetarians substitute milk or veg. broth)
1T chopped fresh sage (1t dried leaves)
1/2 T fresh thyme (1/2 t dried leaves)
Follow instructions on pasta to cook. In a separate sauce pan melt butter on medium heat. When melted, add onion. Make sure your onion is really finely diced. Since you have a nice smooth sauce, you don’t want big chunks of onion, you just want little bits.
Saute until soft. Since they’re small it should only take a couple of minutes. Add chicken broth and herbs. (I used fresh herbs, but I’m sure dry is great too, just go for leaves as opposed to ground spices so not to muddy the color)
Use a spatula to deglaze the pan a bit and get any cooked bits of onion off the bottom. Add pumpkin and whisk to combine. Add alfredo sauce, stir to combine, and cook until heated through. Depending on the alfredo you use you may need to adjust salt and pepper. Mine didn’t need anything added.
Serve on top of prepared pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of extra herbs. Pair it with a salad and breadsticks for a great vegetarian meal. YUM!
I want to know how you feel about pumpkin pasta! Sound good? Sound weird? And if you’ve never commented before, introduce yourself so we can get to know ya! We love all you guys!
Questions & Reviews
Normally I don’t hesitate to try your recipes, but this one might make me. I’m not a brave soul when it comes to new flavor combinations. Pumpkin in my mind should be reserved for dessert. However I am married to a brave soul and I cook more for him than anyone else and I’ll let him decide. I love your site, even if I’m not always leaving a comment. Keep it up!!!
You both know i love this sight i have made so many things from here that i love love love! Lean cuisine has these butternut squash ravaolis that are really good. I wonder if it will taste like that. Keep up the good works girls! I love you both!!
K-the ginger spice cookies were a HUGE hit and oh so easy. I’m in trouble–i’ve already had at least 5…..
Hey Sara, I’m finally going to leave a comment…. I really do check your site everyday for new ideas and also to see how you’re doing! You’re doing a great job… Isabel loves pumpkin, Brady hates it so it’ll be one of those recipes to make when he’s gone snowplowing! I’ve shared your breadstick recipe with tons of people!
Love! Love! Love your website! And no, you are not a comment-whore! It is always nice to read people’s comments. And know that someone is actually enjoying what you do. Sometimes we just need a seift kick in the butt! Thanks so much for all you do to share with us…
Sara, you’re totally a comment whore in denial! 🙂
No, we’re just glad you guys are all alive! Honestly, we wish we could respond to every single one of you, but please know that we love hearing from and helping you guys so much! That’s what makes this fun and know that we read and love every comment that we get. If you have blogs, please let us know and we’ll be sure and leave comments when we can!
Oh, and there is no way in H-E-C-K that I could ever get my husband to eat pumpkin whole wheat pasta. It definitely falls under “Sam’s on a business trip” food.
I feel the same way about comments. You guys rock! This looks delicious :). I will have to try it. Usually I’m not that creative with pumpkin. Thanks for the great blog!
That very last picture looks so beautiful I want to cry! I really want to try it. I’m just wondering – if I’m too darn lazy to make the guiltless alfredo, and want to use store bought for ease, how much would I use?
I love pumpkin and I love pasta, but to be honest, I just don’t know if I can eat them together!
This recipe sounds crazy, but fun, so of course I am going to try it. Thanks for the great recipes.. I love this blog!!!