This festive autumn Date Night Pumpkin Pasta is the perfect romantic and cozy dish for a stay-at-home date night! Vegan with a gluten-free option.
It’s October, and I couldn’t be more excited about it!! This month is Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays. I always stress out about what I want my costume to be, but I found this really cute glitter unicorn horn at Walmart the other day so a unicorn it is!! I do have a penchant for all things shiny and glittery, so this is the perfect costume for me! ;)
After months of dealing with some weird medical issues and fighting to get to the bottom of them, I feel like I’m finally in a position where I can enjoy my fall. I have some really exciting projects lined up that I can’t share just yet, but I can’t wait to tell you all! However, I can reveal that these projects will really be a test of my culinary abilities, so I’ve been reading cookbooks and food literature to broaden my horizons. I have also been actually thinking about taking some formal cooking classes, to really hone my craft! I’d love to be able to take my recipes to the next level :)
Today’s recipe is a bit of a riff on a similar pumpkin pasta I made three years ago, but this one is a little more elegant and elevated. The combination of pumpkin and tomatoes makes for a delicious savory and full-bodied sauce. The addition of almond milk also makes it creamy while still being vegan (though I’ve included notes for a vegetarian version in the recipe). I hope you enjoy it! :)
Date Night Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 Lb Gluten-Free or Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Sautéed Elements
- 4 Tbs Olive Oil
- 1/2 White Onion chopped
- 6 Cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 2 Tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 15-oz Cans Pumpkin Purée
- 1 15-oz Can Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
- 1/3 Cup Water
For the Blender
- 1 1/2 – 2 Tsp Salt to taste
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Possible Toppings
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Arugula
Instructions
- To start, cook your pasta in salted water according to the package instructions (al dente). When done, drain pasta and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring the olive oil to medium heat. Add in the chopped onion, and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Then, add in the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add in the spices, and stir until garlic and onions are evenly coated.
- Then, add in the pumpkin purée, tomatoes, and water, and simmer for about 5 minutes. When done, let cool slightly.
- Once the pumpkin sauce is slightly cooled, add it into the blender with the other blender ingredients, blending until everything is smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired.
- Add the sauce back to the pot and toss with the pasta until all of the pasta is evenly coated.
- Serve pasta with any toppings you like – ideas can include pumpkin seeds, red pepper flakes, or arugula.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- No need to finely mince the garlic here – it will be blended up in the end!
- For this recipe I used gluten-free brown rice spaghetti, but any other variety will do. Just be sure to not overcook the pasta!
- To make a vegetarian version of this dish, replace the olive oil in the sauté with butter and top with vegetarian parmesan at the end.
- This recipe will easily serve 2 with leftovers.
P.S.
If you make this Date Night Pumpkin Pasta and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)
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