It's September and Pumpkins have hit not just the grocery stores, but our hearts and minds too! Isn't it? This creamy pumpkin alfredo sauce is so delicious, that will make an appearance on your table every week! What is not to like? This sauce starts with pumpkin and ends in alfredo! This sauce is made in brown butter, with alfredo sauce, pumpkin puree, spices, and herbs! It is delicious is an understatement.
I first tasted this Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce at a restaurant in San Francisco. It was on their monthly specials, and it was so delicious. They served it with five cheese ravioli and woah, what a treat it was. I am telling you guys, once you try this recipe, there is no going back! Make it for your friends and family, and see their faces light up!
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What is Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce?
Alfredo sauce is a simple white cream sauce. It is seasoned with herbs and spices, and makes for a delicious pasta sauce. This sauce is cooked with butter and flour, heavy cream, milk, spices like oregano, red chili flakes, and garlic powder. You can add any cooked pasta you like to this sauce.
Pumpkin Alfredo sauce is a beautiful creamy sauce, cooked in brown butter, flour, and pumpkin puree. I like to use the canned pumpkin puree for this recipe. While you can add dried herbs, I like to use fresh herbs like sage and rosemary for this recipe. This is a semi-homemade recipe and gets you a restaurant-style pasta dish ready in just under 30 minutes.
I like to use spices and herbs in this recipe: dried oregano, black pepper powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and garlic powder. These spices enhance the taste of the sauce and make it so scrumptious, that you just can't have enough of it!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It is creamy, rich and luscious
- Semi-homemade, easy and quick to make
- Impress your friends and family with the restaurant style delicious pasta recipe
- This recipe is versatile, you can use any kind of pasta you like, and serve with side of protein and veggies.
- It is one of the most delicious pumpkin recipes you'll make!
Ingredients to Make This Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
Butter - What is alfredo sauce without butter, so yes we will be using butter in this recipe. While frying the sage for recipe, the butter will start to cook and brown, which has the perfect nutty taste that it adds to this sauce!
Sage - Run to your grocery store and get some sage and always have it in your refrigerator to cook it with pumpkin. Sage beautifully pairs with pumpkin, and adds a beautiful lemony and earthy flavor to the recipe.
Flour - I use all-purpose flour to make the roux for the sauce for this recipe. This will help the sauce thicken and adds nuttiness in the recipe.
Heavy Cream and Milk - You can either use all heavy cream, or use heavy milk and milk. I like to use heavy cream and milk, to balance not only the indulgence, but also the creaminess of the sauce. If you have half and half, that works perfectly for this recipe too.
Rosemary - We will finely chop the leaves of one or two sprigs of fresh rosemary and add them to the recipe.
Spices and Dried Herbs - I like to add dried oregano, ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, garlic powder, black pepper powder, and salt to this recipe. You can add a little bit of turmeric if you like a bright yellow color on this pasta sauce.
Pasta - I am using five cheese ravioli for this recipe, but you can use any other pasta of your choice. I like to use Rigatoni, or Fettucini for this recipe, and if you want to use another variety of stuffed pasta you can use tortellini in this recipe.
Step-By-Step Recipe
1. Add 6 tablespoons butter to 12-inch frying pan.
2. Let it melt, and then add sage leaves. Let them fry until them crisp up. Use a a pair of tongs to take the crispy sage leaves out on a separate plate.
(We will reserve half of the crispy sage leaves. We will finely chop the rest half and add them with finely chopped rosemary in the pasta sauce.)
3. You will notice the butter has browned beautifully. To this add flour, and using a whisk, mix it with butter until no lumps. Cook it for a minute, so the flour is toasted with the butter and cooked.
4. Add heavy cream and milk to the prepared roux, and whisk until there are no lumps.
5. To this add canned pumpkin puree. Please make sure it is 100% pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling, before buying the pumpkin puree.
6. Along with pumpkin puree we will also add finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped sage, ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper powder, dried oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
7. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese. I insist on adding freshly grated parm from the block of parm, as it will melt in the sauce beautifully.
8. Cook your favorite pasta, as per the package instructions. Strain and add it to the prepared sauce.
9. Serve the pasta in a pasta bowl, and garnish it with fried sage leaves, and freshly grated parmesan.
Expert Tips to Make This Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
- I prefer to use canned pumpkin puree in this recipe as it is easier and quicker.
- Let the butter brown on a medium-low flame, until the sage leaves are crispy.
- Everything pumpkin tastes delicious, with brown butter, sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg. So these are key ingredients of the recipe.
- Use a whisk to whisk the sauce so there are no lumps.
- Follow the measurements to get the perfectly creamy sauce for the recipe.
- I insist you use fresh rosemary and sage, but if you don't have it, dried herbs work too.
- I prefer to use a combination of heavy cream and milk for the sauce, as the consistency is perfect.
- Adding cinnamon and nutmeg to this recipe gives more life to the pumpkin sauce, so use it!
- Use a fresh block of parmesan cheese, it will melt properly in the sauce. The grated parm in the grocery stores might not melt, and make the sauce lumpy.
Serving Suggestions and Storage Instructions
I like to serve this Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce pasta with a side of grilled tofu or paneer, and a side of salad to make a full meal. I like to also make this pasta recipe for lunch and enjoy it just as is without any sides.
You can serve this pasta with some crispy sage leaves and freshly grated parmesan on top. I also like to serve this pasta with my Chili Cheese Toast.
You can store this pasta sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add a little bit of water and reheat it in a frying pan.
You can also freeze this pasta sauce and thaw it overnight in your refrigerator. Heat up in a frying pan, and add water to adjust the consistency if required.
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Pumkin Alfredo Sauce
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Equipment
- 1 12inch Frying Pan
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 20 Sage Leaves 2 teaspoons finely chopped of fried sage leaves
- 2.5 Tablespoons Flour
- 1.5 Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Teaspoons Fresh Rosemary Finely Chopped
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ⅛ Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- ⅛ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese Freshly Grated From the Block + a little more for serving.
Pasta
- 8 Cups Water
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Lb Five Cheese Ravioli or any other pasta of your choice
Instructions
To Cook The Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cover the pot and let it boil, and this way the water comes to a boil faster.
- Once the water starts to boil, add the pasta and salt.
- Cook the pasta as per the packaging instructions.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and wash it with cold water.
- Let it rest, and cook the sauce.
For the Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
- In a 12inch Frying Pan, add 6 tablespoons unsalted butter on a medium low flame.
- Now once the butter melts, add 20 sage leaves to the pan.
- You will patiently wait until the sage leaves crisp up.
- While the sage leaves are frying you will notice the butter starts to brown, which is perfect for this recipe. The brown butter adds a beautiful nutty flavor which is so delcious.
- Turm them over after cooking them for a minute.
- Once the sage leaves are crispy on both sides, take them out on a paper towel lined plate with a pair of tongs.
- We will be using 5-7 fried sage leaves and finely chop them to season the sauce, along with other herbs and spices.
- We will add 2.5 tablespoons of flour. Use a whisk and whisk it until no lumps. Cook the flour in the butter for a minute.
- Now add heavy cream and milk, while whisking so no lumps are formed, and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons each fresh finely chopped rosemary and finely chopped fried sage leaves.
- Now add 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree, half a teaspoon each black pepper powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt, ⅛th teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛th teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.
- Whisk it all well. Now let this cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add ½ cup grated parmesan cheese.
- If you are serving right away, toss the cooked pasta in the sauce, and stir it in until covered with sauce.
- Garnish it with fried sage leaves and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- I prefer cooking the pasta after the sauce is ready.
- I recommend you to cook the pasta, when you are ready to serve, especially in case you are using ravioli. They taste the best when served right off the pan.
- If you have leftovers they stay fine in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you are planning to have leftovers, I suggest you store the cooked pasta and the sauce separately.
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