Pumpkin Pasta Bake

This pumpkin pasta bake is an excellent main dish when you feel like something cozy, comforting, and easy to make.

We toss the pasta in a terrific roasted pumpkin sauce that you can make in a food processor and add roasted pumpkin pieces. The different textures and rich pumpkin flavor make this dish a winner!

It's perfect for the whole family and a great and subtle way to add more veggies to your plate.

For this recipe, we use pumpkin, but you can use any winter squash, such as butternut squash, delicata squash, kabocha squash, and more.

The recipe is vegetarian, and we combine mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese to make this dish tasty, creamy, and melty.

However, we also tested this with dairy-free cheese alternatives such as our vegan ricotta, vegan parmesan, and a store-bought shredded vegan cheese, and it turned out fantastic!

Pumpkin

You can make this recipe with any pumpkin and winter squash, such as delicata squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, hubbard squash, spaghetti squash, turban squash, green or red kabocha squash, sweet dumpling squash, red Kuri squash, buttercup squash, and carnival squash.

We don't use pumpkin puree in this recipe. Instead, we make the sauce with roasted pumpkin.

To speed things up, we recommend purchasing peeled and diced pumpkins.

Pasta

You can use any type of short pasta such as ziti, maccheroni, rigatoni, penne, fusilli, rotini, conchiglie, and more.

We haven't tried this with gluten-free pasta.

Cheese or dairy-free cheese

For pasta bakes, we use diced fresh mozzarella, ricotta, and grated parmesan cheese. It's a beautiful combination that most people love.

To make this recipe vegan, you can substitute store-bought or homemade vegan ricotta for whole milk ricotta, store-bought or homemade vegan parmesan for the parmesan, and store-bought vegan shredded cheese for the mozzarella.

Garlic

You can use fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder.

Olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil because it has a fruitier and more pleasant flavor.

Sage

Sage is delicious with pumpkin and winter squashes, so we recommend using it. Of course, fresh sage is best, but the recipe works well with dried sage.

If you can't find sage, substitute another sturdy herb such as thyme or rosemary.

Vegetable broth or reserved pasta water

Vegetable broth adds some extra flavor, but reserved pasta water works well too. Pick your favorite.

Salt and pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Optional ingredients

• Red pepper flakes: ¼ to ½ teaspoon for heat.
• Grated nutmeg: ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon for a cozy wintery aroma.
• Baby spinach: 2 to 3 handfuls mixed in with the sauce.
• Walnuts: about ½ cup, crushed, toasted, and sprinkled on top. They add crunch and a nutty flavor.

Roast the pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and chop the pumpkin into 1-Inch dice. Add it to the baking tray, and toss with salt, black pepper, crushed garlic with the peel on, and sage leaves.

Arrange on a single layer and bake for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

Cook the pasta

Cook the pasta very al dente, as per package instructions minus 2 minutes, in a large pot of salted water, then drain it and transfer it into a large mixing bowl.

Tip: once in the bowl, stir the pasta occasionally so that it doesn't stick together. We don't think it's necessary to add oil to it, but you can do so if you like.

Make the sauce

Transfer half of the roasted pumpkin, garlic (without peel), and sage to a food processor or blender.

Add half of the ricotta cheese, half of the parmesan, olive oil, and ½ cup of water or vegetable broth, salt, and black pepper.

Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Build the casserole

Cover the bottom of your baking dish with ¼ cup of pumpkin pasta sauce.

Mix the remaining pumpkin sauce with the pasta. Add some reserved pasta water or vegetable broth if the sauce is too thick.

Transfer the pasta onto the baking dish and drizzle with ¼ cup of vegetable broth or reserved pasta water.

Add the remaining pumpkin pieces on top of the pasta.

Add small dollops of ricotta, then sprinkle with mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese.

Bake

Bake in a preheated oven at 350°C or 180°C for about 20 minutes until the cheese melts.

Take out of the oven, let cool down for 5 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin pasta bake is a fulfilling recipe that goes well with a salad to add a crunchy and fresh side dish to your dinner:

• Chickpea salad: ready in 15 minutes, with a tangy, creamy mustard dressing.
• Avocado salad with tomato and red onion, green and creamy side salad.
• Easy side salad: with few ingredients, this salad takes just 5 minutes to toss together.
• Shaved Brussels sprout salad with cranberries and walnuts, a great side salad for autumn and winter!
• Kale salad with pumpkin: a great pairing with pumpkin pasta bake if you have leftover roasted pumpkin!

Got an air fryer? Make a quick and easy vegetable side dish with these colorful recipes:

• Air fryer cauliflower ready in 20 minutes!
• Easy air fryer green beans, a 15-minute tender side dish idea.
• Crispy air fryer asparagus: juicy and lemony, perfect with pasta and stews!
• Quick air fryer eggplant: ready in 20 minutes, a great way to eat eggplant.

Tips

How to cook pasta?

You'll need about 1 gallon (16 cups or 4 liters) of water and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of salt to cook 1 pound (450 grams) of pasta to feed about 5 people.

Questions

Make Ahead: pumpkin pasta bake is an excellent recipe to make ahead. Build the pasta in the casserole up to 2 days ahead of time, cover it in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Then, on the day, thaw and bake it as instructed.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, wrapped in plastic or an airtight container. You can keep the pasta baked in the fridge before baking for up to 2 days.

Freezer: you can freeze pumpkin pasta before baking it for up to 3 months. Wrap the casserole in 3 layers of plastic wrap and freeze. Make sure your casserole is freezer friendly.

Thaw: thaw frozen pasta bake in the fridge, overnight, or during the day, then bake in a preheated oven as instructed.

Reheat: before reheating, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of water on each portion of pasta bake, then reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes. You can also reheat it in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 10-15 minutes.