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Pumpkin pasta bake and sage leaves

Pumpkin Pasta Bake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Roasted pumpkin: 20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Nico Pallotta

  • 1 pound (450 grams) pasta any short type
  • 1½ pounds (680 grams) pumpkin diced, sub with any winter squash
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) extra virgin olive oil divided, 1 tbsp for roasted pumpkin, 1 tbsp for pumpkin sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed, with peel on
  • 10 leaves sage
  • 1½ teaspoons salt divided, 1 tsp for roasted pumpkin, ½ tsp for pumpkin sauce
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup (250 grams) ricotta or dairy-free ricotta, divided, ½ in sauce, ½ on pasta.
  • 1 cup (150 grams) parmesan or dairy-free parmesan, divided, ½ in sauce and ½ on pasta.
  • 1 cup (130 grams) mozzarella or dairy-free cheese, shredded or diced
  • ¾ cup (180 grams) vegetable broth or reserved pasta water

ROAST THE PUMPKIN

  • Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
    Peel and chop pumpkin into 1-Inch dice.
    Add to baking tray and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, crushed garlic with peel on, and sage leaves.
    Arrange on a single layer and bake for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
    roasted pumpkin on a baking tray

COOK THE PASTA

  • Cook pasta as per package instructions minus 2 minutes in a large pot of salted boiling water, then drain it and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
    ziti pasta in a bowl

MAKE PUMPKIN SAUCE

  • To a food processor, add ½ of the roasted pumpkin dice, roasted garlic without peel, sage, ½ of the ricotta, ½ of the parmesan, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ cup vegetable broth.
    food processor with roasted pumpkin and cheeses
  • Blend until smooth, taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
    pumpkin sauce in food processor

BUILD THE PASTA BAKE

  • Cover the bottom of your baking dish with ¼ cup of pumpkin sauce.
    Pumpkin ricotta sauce in baking pan
  • Toss pasta with remaining pumpkin sauce until fully coated, then transfer it into baking dish.
    Drizzle with 1/4 cup vegetable broth.
    Pumpkin pasta in a baking pan
  • Add remaining roasted pumpkin dice on top.
    Pumpkin pieces on top of pasta
  • Add small dollops of remaining ricotta.
    ricotta on top of pumpkin and pasta
  • Cover with mozzarella and remaining parmesan.
    parmesan cheese and mozzarella sprinkled on pasta
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 350°C or 180°C for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.
    Pumpkin pasta bake and garlic and sage
  • Take out of the oven, let cool down for 5 minutes before serving.
    Pumpkin pasta on a white plate
Nutritional information is an estimate for 1 serving of pumpkin pasta bake out of 6 servings.
SUBSTITUTIONS
  • Pumpkin: sub any 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.
  • Ricotta: sub store-bought dairy-free ricotta or our homemade vegan ricotta.
  • Parmesan: sub store-bought dairy-free parmesan or our homemade vegan parmesan.
  • Mozzarella: sub store-bought dairy-free shredded cheese that melts.
  • Fresh Sage: sub dried sage, thyme, or rosemary.
  • Optional ingredients: you can add 3 handfuls of spinach mixed with the pasta before baking, grated nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and crushed walnuts on top.
 
COOKING PASTA TIP
  • Cook the pasta very al dente so that when it bakes in the oven it won't overcook. 2 minutes less than instructed on package is enough.
  • 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.
 
MAKE AHEAD AND STORAGE
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.
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