Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
This vegan creamy pumpkin alfredo is the creamiest, most delicious sauce you can imagine. On top of that, it’s so easy to make and goes well with any type of pasta.
It doesn’t get much easier to make a super creamy vegan alfredo pasta sauce than this. The most time consuming part of this recipe, and I say that mildly, because the oven is really doing all the work for you, is baking the butternut squash in the oven. But to me, this step is a must. Roasting the butternut squash with all the spices and garlic in the oven, creates the most decadent and deep flavor you can imagine. It brings out all the best in the butternut squash and turns them into soft and creamy heavenly mouthfulls. Not to mention the absolutely amazing effect the baking has on the garlic.
Roasting garlic in their skins in the oven brings out all the sweetness and almost turns the garlic into mush. It’s so incredibly tasty that I don’t even have words to describe it. It’s a must try.
Easy time crunch pumpkin hack
If you want a super quick, we’re talking 15 minute pasta, you can substitute the oven baked pumpkins for pumpkin 1/4 cup pumpkin puree. It’s a really quick hack and creates a deliciously creamy pasta sauce. It doesn’t quite give the same rich taste that the roasted butternut squash and garlic does, but it’s great in a time pinch.
If you choose to go the pumkin puree route, just remember to cook the garlic and spices in a skillet before adding them to the cashews to be blended, and you’re good to go.
The secret to a creamy sauce
To make my pumkin pasta sauce extra creamy, without using any cream, I like to use cashews that have been soaking in water overnight or alternatively soaking in hot water for 2 hours, if you’re in a time crunch. It gives the sauce an extra deep and rich creaminess that’s just as good as using real cream.
Cashew nuts become super creamy and oh so tasty when they’re blended. I like to use a high speed blender and blend it for around 1 minute to make it extra creamy.
Alternatively, the cashew nuts could be substituted with coconut milk if needed. While coconut milk is one of my favorite vegan sauce ingredients, I do prefer the cashew nuts in this recipe, because nothing else can beat that creaminess. But if you’re allergic, or just haven’t gotten around to buying cashew nuts, thena tin of coconut milk will also do the trick.
What’s great about this Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta Recipe:
- Super easy and very quick to make
- Tastes amazing and is the ideal midweek dinner treat
- A very healthy crowd pleaser
How to serve
I like to serve this pasta sauce with either fettuchine pasta or clam pasta, because they both soak up the sauce. Let’s face it, pasta is really just the ideal vessel to transport all the sauce, am I right? At least for me, pasta is all about the pasta sauce. You can really serve this sauce with any type of pasta you like, there’s no rules.
I like to serve my pasta with garlic brad or my Healthy Rye Buns
So how is this Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta made? It’s so easy. Just:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Start by peeling the butternut squash and cutting off the ends. Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch chunks and place on a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Add the garlic cloves (with the peel still on) and coat the butternut squash with olive oil. Drizzle with thyme, sage, salt and pepper and mix everything together, until everything is coated.
- Cook the butternut squash for 25-30 minutes, while flipping the pumpkins halfway through. Once the pumpkin is softened take them out of the oven.
- Boil water for the pasta and cook the pasta while you start making the pumpkin sauce.
Pumpkin Sauce
- Being careful not to get burned, remove the peel from the garlic cloves (they should pop right off) and remove the sage leaves. Pour the oven baked butternut squash and roasted garlic into a high speed blender. Scrape in the olive oil and spices and blend until smooth.
- Next, pour in the drained cashews, water and hot chili sauce and blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Toss the sauce together with your cooked pasta and stir in sundried tomatoes and capers.
- Serve and enjoy.
Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw Cashews Soaked in water and drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Butternut Squash Roughly chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic Minced
- 5 Sage leaves
- 2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tbsp Harissa or Hot Chili Sauce
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- 2 Sundried Tomatoes Chopped
- 7-10 Capers Chopped
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Freshly grated Nutmeg
- 4 servings Pasta of your choice
- 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro or Fresh Basil Chopped – Save half for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Start by peeling the butternut squash and cutting off the ends. Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch chunks and place on a baking sheet covered with baking parchment. Add the garlic cloves (with the peel still on) and coat the butternut squash with olive oil. Drizzle with thyme, sage, salt and pepper and mix everything together, until everything is coated.
- Cook the butternut squash for 25-30 minutes, while flipping the pumpkins halfway through. Once the pumpkin is softened take them out of the oven.
- Boil water for the pasta and cook the pasta while you start making the pumpkin sauce.
Pumpkin Sauce
- Being careful not to get burned, remove the peel from the garlic cloves (they should pop right off) and remove the sage leaves. Pour the oven baked butternut squash and roasted garlic into a high speed blender. Scrape in the olive oil and spices and blend until smooth.
- Next, pour in the drained cashews, water and hot chili sauce and blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Toss the sauce together with your cooked pasta and stir in sundried tomatoes, chopped cilantro and capers.
- Serve and enjoy.
