Pumpkin pasta sauce is a rich, creamy, and quick addition to your favorite noodles of all kinds! Smoky, spicy, rich, and unbelievably smooth this sauce gets it's velvety texture from a crazy secret ingredient that pulls it all together into one big, mouthwatering, explosion of tastebud ecstasy. This Pumpkin Alfredo sauce tastes like autumn on a plate!
Special thanks to Forte Chocolates for sponsoring this post.
First Published October 20, 2018. Last Updated October 18, 2019
Recipe Ingredients
This is basically a homemade Alfredo sauce that's been kicked up a notch with southwestern flavors. Here are the ingredients you'll need.
- Butter is important for the creaminess and to help the sauce come together. Please use real butter.
- Garlic should be fresh and pungent.
- Pumpkin puree can be either canned or homemade. DO NOT try to use pumpkin pie filling that has other ingredients in it. It should be 100% pumpkin.
- Heavy whipping cream is necessary for the sauce to hold together.
- Parmesan cheese should be fresh - not the kind in the can.
- Romano cheese should also be fresh but if you can't find it you can use all Parmesan.
- White Chocolate is optional of course, but even though it sounds weird it does give the sauce an extra richness.
- Chipotle in Adobo comes in a can. You can usually find it in the Mexican food section of your grocery or on Amazon (link below).
- Nutmeg adds a little extra flavor. I use whole nutmeg and grate it myself.
- Cilantro is pretty on top and it adds a little flavor along with the garnish but if you don't like it use parsley.
- Cojita cheese is a dry, crumbly, mild Mexican cheese. Farmers cheese or Feta are both good substitutes.
Southwestern Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Contains What??!
I have always loved pumpkin but it wasn't until the past few years that I started experimenting with combining pumpkin and my beloved Southwestern ingredients into savory concoctions. I have certainly made pumpkin Alfredo sauce before but I haven't posted it here on Restless Chipotle because it just seemed so ... average.
And you, my friends, are anything but average. ❤️
So, when I got my box from Forte Chocolates and saw the Gusto Balsamic and White Chocolate bar I decided that I was going to give my pumpkin Alfredo recipe an update to see if it measured up.
Oh boy, did it ever.
The addition of a premier white chocolate to the already creamy pumpkin Alfredo made it even smoother and butterier while merging all of the unique flavors into one Heavenly harmony. Spicy, smoky, comforting, sweet balanced with tangy... all pulled together in gorgeous pumpkin goodness.
Y'all, this is what comfort food strives to be - and so often misses. It's perfection.
Pumpkin Sauce Notes
Recipe Rated Easy - Anyone can make this
This is a super quick and easy recipe that marries great Italian flavor with great Southwestern flavor in a new way. It's simple to make but here are a few tips to make it even easier.
- Get your salted water for your pasta started BEFORE starting this sauce! It goes together quickly but it doesn't hold for a long time and you don't want to warm it back up - like any good Alfredo it breaks when reheated.
- Do not substitute lower fat ingredients in this recipe - Alfredo sauce is supposed to be rich and creamy. Diet tomorrow.
- Gently warm the cream to room temperature before adding to the melted butter. To do this you can microwave, carefully watching it, OR put a glass measuring cup with the cream in it into a bowl of very hot water for 10-15 minutes.
- Be careful not to scorch anything. Use medium low heat and whisk whisk, whisk!
- If you've had problems with getting Alfredo sauce recipes to thicken don't worry. The pumpkin and the white chocolate create a thick, creamy Alfredo sauce!
- This is a GREAT way to sneak turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving into your menu rotation!
About Our Sponsor
I don't even know where to begin with telling you about Forte Chocolates. For one thing they have some of the most unique flavors on the planet - I mean, who thinks about adding balsamic to white chocolate?
They do.
Chef Karen Neugebauer is the mastermind, and talented artisan, behind Forte Chocolates. Her philosophy, and the philosophy of the company, is that celebrating life IS celebrating chocolate. The two are intertwined throughout history - chocolate has always been a part celebrations.
The chocolates are full of unique flavors that are found naturally within the pure chocolate. They pair it with fresh, local cream and butter and add unique high quality ingredients. No preservatives are used so the flavors you get are intense, pure, and unmatched.
That's why the bars are so versatile, y'all. That's why they work in sweet or savory recipes - because the flavors are pure. SO good. SO SO SO good.
More Southwestern Style Recipes
Here are some of my favorite Southwestern and Tex-Mex recipes here on Restless Chipotle!
- Mole Sauce is another great sauce that contains chocolate! It's a classic Mexican recipe that works well with chicken or turkey. Unbelievably good.
- Mexican Street Corn Soup happened when your favorite corn chowder got a Mexican makeover with this elote inspired soup.
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Jalapeno Cheese Grits Imagine meltingly tender beef in gravy spooned over creamy, cheesy grits with a pop of jalapeno. Yep, it's good.
- Cheesy Mexican Lasagna is a quick and easy casserole that you can make ahead of time and it freezes well, too.
- Tamale Pie is the recipe a lot of us grew up on. Cornmeal topping over saucy Mexican seasoned beans and beef.
- Key Lime Hatch Chile Gelato I can't even explain how delicious this gelato is. It tastes like key lime pie with a little chile heat.
- Spiked Mexican Hot Chocolate imagine a ski lodge in New Mexico where you sit before a crackling fire and sip rich, chocolatey goodness. This recipe is all of that but without the fire, the ski lodge, or the cost of the flight to New Mexico.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe FAQs
Here are the most commonly asked questions about this recipe. If you don't find the answer to yours here leave a comment below or email me - I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
What goes well with pumpkin pasta sauce?
I like it over ravioli and sometimes use it in my Chicken Ravioli Alfredo recipe. Here are some more of my favorite ways to use this sauce.
- Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
- Whole wheat fettuccine with grilled chicken
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Spooned over grilled chicken
- Mixed with shell macaroni as a side to pork chops
- Over gnocchi
What can I use instead of pumpkin?
Sweet potatoes, Hubbard or Acorn squash are good substitutes.
Does pumpkin Alfredo sauce freeze well?
No it doesn't. It doesn't warm up very well either - it tends to break down. Make it right before you plan on using it - it's so quick and easy that there's no reason not to.
You May Need...
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What’s new? Check out my Restless Chipotle & Co. Store on Amazon where you'll find all kinds of nostalgic goodness! Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
I am unable to resist pretty tables and serving dishes. It's an addiction. This pumpkin pasta is beautiful in ANY serving dish of course but it's at it's absolute best when served in something rustic and turquoise or blue. Check out this Italian pottery serving bowl and see if you don't fall head over heels in love with it.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe
I am totally addicted to this Alfredo sauce! It's so good on just about everything!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Southwestern Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Print Add to CollectionEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Fettuccine, cooked - whole wheat works well here
- 2/3 cup butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, mashed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated. You'll also need some for sprinkling on top of the finished dish
- 1/3 cup Romano, grated
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1.58 ounces Forte Chocolates Gusto Balsamic White Chocolate bar, broken in pieces, optional
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup pasta water, about, reserved from cooking the pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, for garnish (optional)
- 1/3 cup Cojita cheese, crumbled, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain, reserving 1-2 cups of the water.
- Melt the butter in a large pan.
- Add the garlic and chipotle, saute for 1 minute, do not brown.
- Add the cream, cheese, pumpkin, white chocolate, and nutmeg.
- Stir until smooth.
- Add enough of the hot pasta water to get a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the pasta to the pan and heat for a minute or two.
- Serve garnished with crumbled cojita cheese and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Get your salted water for your pasta started BEFORE starting this sauce! It goes together quickly but it doesn't hold for a long time and you don't want to warm it back up - like any good Alfredo it breaks when reheated.
- Do not substitute lower fat ingredients in this recipe - Alfredo sauce is supposed to be rich and creamy. Diet tomorrow.
- Gently warm the cream to room temperature before adding to the melted butter. To do this you can microwave, carefully watching it, OR put a glass measuring cup with the cream in it into a bowl of very hot water for 10-15 minutes.
- Be careful not to scorch anything. Use medium low heat and whisk whisk, whisk!
- If you've had problems with getting Alfredo sauce recipes to thicken don't worry. The pumpkin and the white chocolate create a thick, creamy Alfredo sauce!
- This is a GREAT way to sneak turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving into your menu rotation!
- Reheating can make it separate. If you are reheating leftovers be sure that the sauce is mixed with pasta.
Nutrition
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Healthy World Cuisine
Hiya Marye! Your Pumpkin Alfredo sauce has it all going on. Love the spicy, delicately sweet, cheesy, creaminess of each bite. Now on to that Balsamic Vinegar chocolate... that is truly unique. Can't wait to give it a try. Pinning to all of our favorite boards. Take Care
Marye
Thanks!