Roasted Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta
A rich & creamy roasted pumpkin & ricotta sauce served with al dente pasta, crispy sage leaves & grated parmesan. This is a simple midweek dinner & is a great way to use seasonal vegetables.
It’s now officially Autumn, so the weather’s starting to turn cold & pumpkins are finally back in season! This means that it’s the perfect time to make a really good pumpkin pasta dish & this one ticks all the boxes. It’s easy to make, packed full of flavour & uses pumpkin (or butternut squash) when they’re at their best.
For this style of pasta sauce, we make a puree with roasted pumpkin, onion & garlic then turn it into a sauce by blending it up with ricotta, chicken stock, parmesan & lemon juice. This one’s incredibly easy to make & can be made several days ahead of time! To serve, we stir freshly cooked pasta into the sauce with a splash of pasta water then pile into bowls & top with more grated parmesan, crispy fried sage leaves & a few cracks of black pepper.
For more dinner recipes to try, take a look at our collection of main course recipes! There’s loads of really good dinners to make, from easy midweek meals to impressive weekend dinners. If you’re a pumpkin fan, you should try our pumpkin spice sticky toffee pudding!
What You’ll Need
- Pumpkin – For this pasta sauce, you can use an orange pumpkin or a butternut squash. The recipe calls for 500g which is the prepped weight, after the pumpkin has been peeled, de seeded & chopped. You’ll need a small pumpkin or 1 butternut squash.
- Ricotta – A creamy, mild cheese made from whey & originating from Italy. The pumpkin sauce uses 250g which was one pot.
- Onion & Garlic – I used brown onions for my pumpkin sauce but a large white onions will work as well.
- Tomato Paste – We’re roasting the tomato paste on the veg, which gives the sauce a deeper flavour.
- Chicken Stock – Used to give the roasted pumpkin puree the correct consistency for a pasta sauce. You could use veg stock instead, if you’d prefer.
- Parmesan – We’re adding grated parmesan into the pumpkin pasta sauce & also using it to top the finished pasta dish.
- Lemon Juice – Added to the sauce, to cut through the richness from the cheese & pumpkin.
How To Make Roasted Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta Sauce
This is a really easy, hands off homemade pasta sauce! You roast the veg in the oven then blend it up into a smooth sauce with ricotta, chicken stock, lemon juice & parmesan. Then you add in freshly cooked pasta & a good splash of pasta water, to get the perfect consistency.
- Prep Veg – First, we peel the pumpkin, scoop out any seeds then chop the flesh into 1 inch chunks. We roughly chop up a couple of brown onions then add the veg into a tin along with some garlic cloves.
- Roast Veg – Next, we drizzle some veg oil over the veg, season with salt & pepper then roast at 200°c/392°f for 30-40 minutes, until soft.
- Add In Tomato Puree – Once the veg is cooked, we coat in a tablespoon of tomato puree then cook for another 4-5 minutes, to roast the puree.
- Blend Into A Sauce – Now that everything’s roasted, we can use a jug blender to blitz it all up into a puree, with ricotta, chicken stock & a splash of lemon juice. Make sure to give the sauce a taste at this point then add in salt & pepper as needed, to season.
- Warm In Pan – Once the sauce is ready, we add it into a large saucepan, warm it back up over a low heat then stir in some grated parmesan.
- Add Pasta – In the meantime, we need to cook some pasta in boiling salted water until it’s al dente. Then we toss this through the pumpkin sauce, along with a splash of the pasta water to adjust the consistency. The sauce needs to be thin enough to evenly coat the pasta!
Serving Suggestions
I served my roasted pumpkin & ricotta sauce with mafaldine pasta, crispy sage, grated parmesan & a drizzle of olive oil. However you could use whatever type of pasta you like. Pappardele would be a good choice! Or you could use the pumpkin sauce to make an Autumnal lasagne…
Tips & Tricks
- Make your own pasta or use a good quality shop bough pasta; either dried or fresh! If you’d like to make your own pasta, check out our homemade pasta recipes.
- Make this recipe in Autumn when it’s peak pumpkin season!
- Roast the pumpkin in the oven, to give the sauce extra flavour.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pumpkin sauce, to cut through the richness from the cheese & veg.
- Top the pumpkin pasta with some crispy sage. To make this, you fry sage leaves in a pan with some veg oil for a minute or two, until crisp. Pumpkin & sage is a classic combination, so it works perfectly for this dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook roasted pumpkin pasta in an Aga, cook the pumpkin in the roasting oven, on the second from bottom set of runners. Cook the pasta on the boiling plate & warm the sauce on the simmering plate.
Pumpkins are in season from Autumn to early Winter. In the UK, peak pumpkin season is from October to December.
To substitute dried pasta for fresh, use 1.5x the amount (150% more pasta). So if the recipe calls for 100g of dried pasta, use 150g of fresh pasta instead.
Yes, pumpkin pasta sauce can be made in advance & will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the pasta sauce on the stove then add in freshly cooked pasta.
More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Beef Burritos
- Roasted Garlic Lasagne (Deep Dish)
- Black Garlic Pork Belly Porchetta
- Hot Maple Fried Chicken
- Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto With Sage Brown Butter
- Goose Fat Jacket Potatoes
If you have enjoyed this pumpkin pasta recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating. And if you’d like to stay up to date with future recipes, follow us on Instagram & TikTok!
Roasted Pumpkin & Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
- Roasting Tray
- Jug Blender
- Microplane/Grater
- Large Saucepan
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Roasted Pumpkin Sauce
- 500 g Pumpkin Or Butternut Squash (Prepped Weight – See Notes)
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Brown Onions
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 250 g Ricotta
- 200 ml Chicken Stock
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 50 g Parmesan (Grated, Plus Extra To Serve)
Crispy Sage
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 10 g Picked Sage Leaves
To Serve
- 400 g Dried Pasta (See Notes)
- Olive Oil
Instructions
Roasted Pumpkin Sauce
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Peel the pumpkin/squash, scoop out any seeds the chop the flesh into 1" chunks. You'll need 500 grams of diced pumpkin.
- Peel the onions then dice them so that they're roughly the same size as the pumpkin. Add both the pumpkin & onion onto a baking tray, along with garlic cloves then drizzle over the veg oil.
- Season the veg with salt & pepper, toss to combine then roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Make sure to stir the veg every 15 minutes or so.
- Next, top the veg with the tomato paste, toss to coat then roast for another 4-5 minutes to cook the tomato paste.
- Once everything is cooked, transfer the veg into a jug blender then add in the ricotta & blend into a smooth puree.
- Next, gradually add in the chicken stock whilst blending until you get a thick sauce then blend in the lemon juice, as well as salt & pepper to taste.The sauce should have the consistency of a thick cheese sauce (think mac & cheese!).
Crispy Sage
- Set a small frying pan over a medium heat, add in the veg oil then leave to warm up for a minute or two.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the sage leaves then fry for 1-2 minutes until crisp, agitating frequently.The sage should start sizzling as soon as you add it into the oil.
- Transfer the fried sage to a plate lined with kitchen paper then leave to drain until needed.I like to make the crispy sage whilst the sauce cooks, so they're both ready at the same time.
To Serve
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat then add in the pasta & cook per the package instructions. It should be al dente!
- Whilst the pasta cooks, tip the sauce into a large saucepan then set over a low heat, to warm through.
- Once warm, add the grated parmesan to the pumpkin sauce, stirring to melt. Keep the sauce warm over a very gentle heat & don't let it get too hot!
- Once the pasta is cooked, use a pair of tongs to transfer it into the sauce.If you're using smaller type pasta (like penne), a slotted spoon will work better than a pair of tongs.
- Add a ladle full of the pasta water into the sauce then stir gently to coat the pasta. If the sauce is still a bit thick, add in more pasta water to adjust the consistency.
- Give the pasta a final taste, to check the seasoning then add in more salt & pepper if needed.
- To serve, transfer the pasta into bowls then topped with grated parmesan, the crispy sage, a drizzle of olive oil & some freshly cracked black pepper.
