In this recipe, This Rigatoni with Spicy Pumpkin Cream Sauce is a quick dinner that brings all the flavors of fall to your meal!
Happy fall y’all! Gotta say I really loved getting to make this recipe over and over again! So did BMW, haha. It’s seriously delicious and such a quick and easy dinner recipe. This hearty pasta dish has all those comforting flavors of fall. I love that this is a savory way to use pumpkin!
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Rigatoni with Spicy Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Pumpkin Cream Sauce, do I really need to say more? I find that most fall recipes that use pumpkin are sweet and don’t get me wrong I love a good pumpkin bread as much as the next gal but pumpkin can be so versatile!
Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture and subtle flavor to any recipe it is used in. It’s great to use as a substitute for eggs and oil in baking recipes. In this recipe, the pumpkin provides a wonderful base for a rich and creamy sauce. The pumpkin is the perfect way to accentuate those fall spices!
Fall spices are often warming spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Those spices are often found in savory Indian dishes. These spices also pair well with hot spices like cayenne! I added a little bit to this recipe since we little spicy food. There is only a small amount so this recipe isn’t overly hot but if you’re sensitive to spice you can leave it out.
Savory Fall Pumpkin Recipe
Another reason I really like this recipe is because of how versatile it is! I used rigatoni
In this recipe, I used organic grass-fed beef for my protein but any ground meat would work in it’s place. To make this vegetarian, use a can of drained chickpeas, chopped cauliflower or crumbled tofu. The sauce is really what makes this recipe!
Best Fall Dinner Recipes
I just love this time of year and I love it even more when I can celebrate the cool evenings with a comforting meal! This savory pasta with pumpkin cream sauce is what fall dreams are made of! Let me know in the comments what you think!
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Rigatoni with Spicy Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 1 lb organic grass-fed ground beef
- 15 oz pure pumpkin purée
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp white pepper can sub black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil rigatoni until al dente. About 10 minutes of boiling, or as directed on the package.
- In a large heavy bottomed skillet, like a cast iron, brown the beef over medium high heat breaking it apart with a spatula. Drain any fat if needed.
- Use the spatula to scoot the beef to the sides of the skillet. Then place the butter and garlic into the pan and cook until fragrant. About 30-60 seconds over medium high heat.
- Add the chili powder, cayenne, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the skillet with pumpkin and one cup of pasta water. Stir all around until well combined.
- Drain the rigatoni and reserve a few extra tablespoons of pasta water just in case. Add the drained rigatoni to the skillet stirring until well combined. If the mixture seems particularly dry, add pasta water one tablespoon at a time until the texture resembles a thick sauce.
- Turn heat off of skillet and stir in cream until well combined. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Serve immediately!
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