Baked Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta

A cozy cheesy baked pasta dish with pumpkin and kale that is perfect on a cool fall day. This recipe is easy to make and takes less than an hour including baking time. Give it a try for a rainy fall or winter dinner, a Thanksgiving side or anytime you are craving a cheesy baked pasta and but not mac and cheese.

Why I love this pumpkin pasta recipe

This pasta recipe is one of my fall favorites but I also make it throughout the year. I love the addition of canned pumpkin and kale so it has a healthy component from the vegetables but is also a very comforting dish. I sometimes make half the pan without kale depending on my kid’s mood and aversion to green vegetables that day. I also like how this recipe does not use any spice but instead focuses on herbs for flavor. I love fall dishes but at somepoint get tired of cinnamon, clove, allspice and all the baking spices that get added to dishes and want something with a more savory flavor.

Pumpkin pasta as a Thanksgiving side

I am always looking for new Thanksgiving side ideas. I personally love pasta as a Thanksgiving side. Last year I made a butternut squash lasagna as a side. It was a huge hit with everyone, especially the kids. I got some pushback for it not being a traditional side but I am now considering making a new traditiona and serving a baked pasta as a Thanksgiving side every year. This year I am going to be serving this cheesy baked pumpkin pasta. Depending how it goes, next year I might make my french onion mac and cheese.

This pasta is a perfect Thanksgiving side. It has a nice distinct pumpkin flavor, the rosemary and thyme work well with most Thanksgiving dishes from turkey and cranberry sauce to glazed carrots and dressing. With the abundance of cheese and the addition of kale or spinach it also allows you to have this dish count as two sides and as a result do less work. Lastly, it is a Thanksgiving side that I will not tire of eating as leftovers.

Ingredients in baked pumpkin pasta with kale

This recipe might seem like a lot of ingredients but it is easy to put together and you can buy grated cheese if you want to make it even easier.

• Dried Pasta – you can use medium shells, penne, oricchette, or rotini. You want a pasta that can be nicely coated with the pumpkin sauce.
• Kale – this will add some green to your dish. Because the kale is blanched and then baked it comes out very tender. Not a fan of kale, that’s ok. Feel free to substitute or omit. For other ideas see my substitution notes below.
• Canned Pumpkin – a single can of pumpkin helps give the sauce its nice pumpkin flavor along with helping ensure the sauce is thick without needing to make a roux.
• Fresh Rosemary and Thyme – the fresh herbs give the pasta a wonderful flavor and help add some additional fall notes.
• Grated Cheese – you need a lot of cheese for this recipe and can use a mix of parmesan, gruyere, and fontina. If you want to substitute any of the cheeses see my note below on recipe substitutions.
• Heavy Cream – the cream will add a richness to the dish and combined with the cheese gives it a mac and cheese vibe.
• Vegetable broth – the broth is used to thin the sauce a little so it coats everything nicely and so the pasta does not dry out.
• Ricotta – there are dollops of ricotta cheese added on top to help give the dish even more cheesy goodness.

How to make cheesy pumpkin pasta

This recipe is very easy to make and does not require any special equipment or elaborate preparation methods. You do not need to make a roux as is necessary in many creamy pasta sauces and all the sauce incredients can be simply combined in a bowl with a whisk.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 4 minutes (or half the length of the package instructions). During the last minute of cooking add the chopped kale to the boiling pasta.

Drain the pasta and kale and rinse under cold water. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl or back to the pot.

In a medium mixing bowl add the canned pumpkin, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, vegetable stock and heavy cream. Whisk together all the ingredients until full combined.

Add the rosemary and thyme and grated cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for topping) to the pumpkin sauce and stir to combine. The sauce will be thick.

Add the sauce to the pasta and kale and stir to ensure the pasta is fully coated.

Transfer the pasta to a greased casserole dish. Top with dollops of ricotta and the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese.

Bake in an oven preheated to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes so that it is browned and bubbly.

Pumpkin pasta recipe substitutions and modifications

I love recipes that are flexible and can have ingredients substituted or modified depending on your personal tastes or what you have on hand. Here are some easy substitution and modification notes for this baked pumpkin pasta recipe.

• Pasta shape – this baked pasta dish is flexible as to the type of pasta you use. A tube style pasta is ideal as it can hold all that yummy pumpkin and cheese sauce inside.
• Kale – the kale can be omitted or reduced if you do not want greens. If you don’t like kale but want another green vegetable then I would recommend collard greens or swiss chard. You could also use broccoli florets if you prefer. I think the greens help the dish have more of a fall flavor than broccoli.
• Canned Pumpkin – the canned pumpkin is a cornerstone of the recipe but if this is not your favorite flavor you can always substitute the pumpkin with canned yams or canned sweet potatoes.
• Fresh Herbs – the rosemary and thyme can be substituted for other fresh herbs or you can add additional. Some other herbs that work really well are sage and parsley. If using dried herbs you only need 1 teaspoon of each instead of a tablespoon.
• Grated Cheese – I think the combination of gruyere, parmesan and fontina is wonderfully delicous. I also realize that buying all three can be expensive and not ideal. You can always do a combination of only two cheese like fontina and parmesan. You can also substitute the gruyere with swiss or a medium cheddar and the fontina can be substituted with mozarella or jack cheese.
• Add Some Spice – if you like spice you can always add 1/2-1 teaspoon of red chili flakes to the sauce or sprinkle some on top after baking. If you want to add some spice and flavor I recommend adding 2 teaspoons or upto 1 tablespoon of Chili Crisp or Harissa chili paste (Trader Joe’s has a great harissa) to the sauce. Both these will give the sauce some nice extra flavor in addition to spice.
• Add Chicken – if you want to make this baked pumpkin pasta into a one dish meal simply add a cup or two of diced cooked chicken or pulled rotisserie chicken in with the sauce and pasta. With the added chicken I recommend adding another 1/4 cup of cream for every cup of chicken so it is nice and saucy.

How to store leftover pumpkin pasta

Make sure you save room in your fridge as this pasta is great as leftovers. I will sometimes make a double batch of this recipe just so I can eat it as leftovers throughout the week. It stores great and reheats easily. Enjoy it for lunch with a small side salad or as a side for dinner with Chicken Supreme.

To store the leftovers allow the baked pasta to cool and then slice it into smaller portions and transfer to airtight containers. Pasta will keep in the fridge for up to five days. To reheat in the microwave transfer to a microwave safe bowl or container and heat on medium heat in 1 minute increments until hot. To reheat in the oven place in an oven safe dish and reheat at 325 for about 15 minutes until hot.

Baked Cheesy Pumpkin Pasta

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

A cozy cheesy baked pasta dish with pumpkin and kale that is perfect on a cool fall day. This recipe is easy to make and takes less than an hour including baking time. Give it a try for a rainy fall or winter dinner, a Thanksgiving side or anytime you are craving a cheesy baked pasta.

• Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound of pasta – medium shells, rotini, penne or other tube pasta
• 1 bunch (1 pound) of kale with stems/ribs removed and cut in 2 inch pieces.  Collards or Swiss Chard can be used instead.
• 1 can of pumpkin puree (15oz)
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup of vegetable broth or white wine
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 3 heaping cups of grated cheese – blend of parmesan, fontina and gruyere
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees and grease a casserole pan (9×13) with butter
   2. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 4 minutes (or half the length of the package instructions). During the last minute of cooking add the chopped kale to the boiling pasta.
   3. Drain the pasta and kale and rinse under cold water. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl or back to the pot.
   4. In a medium mixing bowl add the canned pumpkin, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, vegetable stock and heavy cream. Whisk together all the ingredients until full combined.
   5. Add the rosemary and thyme and grated cheese (reserving 1/2 cup for topping) to the pumpkin sauce and stir to combine. The sauce will be thick.
   6. Add the sauce and kale to the pasta and stir to ensure the pasta is fully coated.
   7. Transfer the pasta to a greased casserole dish. Top with dollops of ricotta and the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese.
   8. Bake in an oven preheated to 500 degrees for 10-15 minutes so that it is browned and bubbly.
   9. You can also broil the pasta for 2 minutes to make it crispy on top but be sure to watch it so it does not burn.

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

• Author: anthony
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Category: Pasta
• Method: Stove and Oven
• Cuisine: American