Vegan Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Two forks in a plate of saucy rotini noodles.

5 from 2 votes

This Pumpkin Pasta Sauce makes the perfect fall weeknight dinner! It's creamy and comforting, made with pantry staples, and ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time18

Total Time28

Course: Main Dish, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Jenn Sebestyen

Equipment

Ingredients

16 ounces pasta your favorite
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
1 yellow onion diced
2 small carrots peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme or sage
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin purée
1 ½ cups unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon mellow white miso paste
1 cup pasta cooking water or vegetable broth, if needed
chopped fresh thyme to garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta in well salted water according to package directions until al dente. Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté 5 to 6 minutes until the onion is translucent and the carrots are starting to get tender.
Add the garlic, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, and nutmeg and sauté 1 minute until the spices are fragrant.
Whisk in the pumpkin and non-dairy milk until fully incorporated. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Whisk in the miso paste until fully dissolved and incorporated into the sauce.
Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Add the reserved pasta cooking water (or vegetable broth) if needed to thin out the sauce.
Add the cooked pasta and stir well to combine.
Garnish with chopped fresh thyme.

Notes

~ Salt the pasta water generously.

~ Save 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce, if needed. But don't worry if you forget this step (as I often do!), you can use vegetable broth or more non-dairy milk, if needed.

~ Dice the carrots finely so they cook through fully.

~ Whisk the miso paste in really well and simmer until it's fully dissolved and incorporated. No one wants to bite into a clump of the paste!

~ For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pasta.

~ For an oil-free option, sauté the veggies in vegetable broth or water instead of oil.

~ Other ways to serve the creamy pumpkin sauce: over gnocchi, in lasagna, over baked potatoes, as a dipper for quesadillas, or as a sauce for buddha bowls.

Nutrition