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This cozy bowl of Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo is becoming one of our favorite fall pasta dishes. I took a classic pasta recipe and updated it with a rich and creamy pumpkin sauce, golden brown butter, and fried sage leaves. Every twirl of creamy pasta has delicious fall flavors that melt in your mouth. It’s the coziest, creamiest Alfredo that comes together in under 30 minutes. Great for busy autumn nights.
Remember yesterday how I said I was hoping the snow would hold out a few more weeks? Well, we got snow. Not much, but I saw some white this morning and I can confirm, I am not ready.
I want these autumn colors to last, but sadly our fall is quickly coming to an end. I knew the day was coming, but it still doesn’t mean I am ready for it. Of course, with the colder temperatures, I crave cozier foods. Fall foods, which we all know are my favorite to create.
I’ve been dying to share this recipe for a while. It’s a dish I knew I wanted to make this year. I’ve thought about it in years past, but with limited days in the fall, I’d always run out of time.
Not this season. October is here and I am embracing every last fall-themed recipe I can cram in. Starting with a staple, a pumpkin pasta recipe.
Here are the quick details
Start with pasta. Use classic fettuccine or something of a similar cut for this. I wanted something long, but fun. I found this Manfredi Lunghi Pasta on Amazon and bought 6 packages. The squiggly edges reminded me of a skinny lasagna noodle and I just couldn’t resist buying them. I knew I would use them for this pumpkin Alfredo.
While the pasta water is coming to a boil, start and finish the recipe. Just like a classic alfredo sauce, this is really simple.
The sauce is a quick mix of butter browned with fresh sage leaves, garlic, canned pumpkin, and then a splash of cider. The cider adds a sweetness that balances out the richness in the sauce. I know it sounds odd, but you have to take my word here, the cider makes the sauce special.
Once you have the cider and pumpkin in the pan, simmer everything down to intensify the flavor, then add milk or cream, parmesan cheese, and creamy, nutty gouda cheese. Of course, gouda cheese is not traditional, but I found it to be really delicious with the pumpkin.
If you want to make this a little lighter on the dairy, use canned coconut milk. It will be just as creamy, if not creamier, but uses less cow dairy if that’s a concern.
Add the pasta to the sauce, and toss! As you add the pasta to the sauce, it will immediately begin to thicken and become very creamy. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for a minute or two, then serve immediately.
I top with the fried sage leaves and a fresh grate of parmesan.
The sauce is creamy with warming notes of pumpkin and sage, and nuttiness from the golden brown butter. It’s my favorite combo.
Perfect for chillier nights or when you need to throw together a quick dinner!
Looking for other fall pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Browned Sage Butter Chicken Piccata with Mushroom Pasta
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 419 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves plus 2 teaspoon chopped sage
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 pound fettuccine or similar cut of pasta
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.2. Melt together the butter and sage leaves in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is browning and the sage is crisp, 4 minutes. Remove the sage leaves from the butter. 2. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining chopped sage, the garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook 1 minute, then stir in the pumpkin and apple cider. Simmer 2-3 minutes, until thickened slightly. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, until thickened slightly. Stir in the parmesan, gouda, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Toss in the pasta and cook 3-5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Divide the pasta between plates and top with crispy sage. Eat and enjoy immediately.
Notes
This post was originally published on October 3, 2022
Tieghan…. girl. This is amazing. It’s like a super special mac n cheese that I never knew I craved. All my grocery stores were out of fresh sage so I used dried/ground instead. I also found some cute Halloween themed noodles (bats, pumpkins, ghosts, etcs) which made it a fun experience (and all that creamy goodness got into the knooks and crannies). Thank you for sharing this one!
Hey Kenzie,
Lol fantastic! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
This is an absolutely phenomenal recipe! All of the ingredients are wonderfully curated. It is the perfect fall dish and so delicious. I ended up making some swaps for allergies (I used bullion and almond milk instead of the cider and whole milk) and also used dairy free Gouda cheese. It worked very well as a swap for those who also have allergies. We also added some Italian sausage on the side. The flavors were fall perfection.
Hey Gen,
Yay! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! Have a great day! Xx
Loved this pasta dish! The flavor combo of the pumpkin and browned butter in a creamy sauce was sooo good! I had no problem with the sauce breaking. I heated the milk until very warm, and gradually whisked it into the sauce, along with the cheese. It was delicious! Thank you for such a great seasonal recipe!!
Hey Anita,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
Disappointing. I thought the cheeses made the brown butter sage mixture taste stodgy. I wanted it to be fresh and clean. The only way I knew there was pumpkin was because of the color. The cider was lost and I was loathe to use 2 cups of milk. I had to add quite a bit of salt and pepper to elevate any taste. : (
Hi Dottie,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback. So very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! x
I liked this recipe, but felt there was way too much apple cider vinegar, and it made the sauce too vinegar like and tart.
Hey Eden,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! The recipe actually calls for apple cider, no vinegar:) Let me know if you try again without the apple cider vinegar! xx
Hahaha omg I did the same thing. My sauce broke too. I flunked lol.
Ha did the same as well. Oops! Thought it seemed like a lot of ACV so halved it and was still quite good – will try again the correct way!
Apparently I have too much time on my hands and decided this might be more elegant if I used fresh pumpkin and pasta. So I roasted and puréed a pumpkin and made fettuccini, turning a quick weeknight dinner into a project. It was delicious. I have no idea if it was any more delicious than the published version, but my lovely spouse loved it too, and she’ll be pleased when we have it again. At least now I have puréed fresh pumpkin in my freezer.
Hey Jeff,
Wow, that’s impressive! So glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
Thanks Tieghan for a great recipe. My husband and I are always trying different recipes and this one caught my attention. We have been KETO since Covid but do try to implement some carbs, so today we made zucchini zoodles with 1/2 the pasta as well as adding Swiss Chard stems to the pasta pot(zucchini being just in for max 2 minutes). We also steamed the chard leaves separately, sauce was made as per recipe. In plating our meal the chard leaves went on the bottom, the pasta next and sauce on top with the sage leaves. Our dinner turned out beautiful, healthy and very tasty.(For the individuals having their sauce break – if you heat your milk for a minute in microwave before adding to your sauce it should mix in beautifully without breaking.). Thanks again for your recipes.
Hey Deb,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing the adjustments that worked well for you! So glad you were able to make it to your liking:) Happy Sunday! xT
I’ve made this recipe 5 times. Seriously 5! I’ve broken the sauce 3 out of 5 times. On time number 4 I just broke it again, threw it out, and made it again. I follow the directions. Please tell us mere mortals how to make the sauce consistently. Maybe it’s a ratio issue, maybe a temperature issue. But this sauce is glorious when right but so infuriating.
I second this! It broke for me after I added the milk and before I added the cheese. I tried adding more fat, but ended up getting impatient and blending it. Maybe using half and half will make it more stable?
I agree with Amy on the comment about adding a note to SLOWLY add in the cheese. My sauce also broke and was very claggy. We were able to fix it by adding more butter and milk but definitely changed the ratios of the sauce. I see you added the clarification for the milk but my sauce didn’t break until I added the cheese. Wish I saw Amy’s comment earlier :/
Hi Hayley,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you had some issues with the sauce! x
Could you use heavy cream instead of whole milk to make this richer? Or would it mess it up? If you can add heavy cream, how much would you suggest?
Hey Jasmine,
Sure, you could use an equal amount of heavy cream. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Can you substitute apple juice for apple cider? Or any other substitutes for apple cider?
Yes you can definitely use apple juice! xT
I think the pasta with your sauce looks exceptional. My husband is very particular about bread, pasta (well, everything). He wants pasta and bread to taste great by itself so that when adding the sauce it just gets better. Can you comment about this?
Hi Elisa,
So sorry, I am not sure what you are asking? Please let me know how I can help! xx
One of my favorite recipes of yours to make! I’ll be making it several times during the upcoming holidays! The flavor of the sauce is so delicious and definitely a crowd. Easy, yet elevated! Please keep making recipes with sage in them!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I am so glad that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a go! xx
This is absolutely delicious. I made it twice this week. I will say the first time I made it the milk split as it simmered and the end product was a bit curdled/loose. The second time I halved the milk and instead of simmering it, heated it just to the point it was hot enough to melt the cheese, and I got a velvety smooth, awesome sauce. I’m seeing now other reviews mentioning success with adding the milk and cheese slowly, so I’ll try that next time. And there will be a next time because the flavors are spot on and it’s such a cozy, tasty dish. Love this.
Hi! I’m so sorry that the first try didn’t turn out as well, but love to hear that it turned out great for you! xT
You’ve really got to update the recipe to let people know they must add the milk and cheese in slowly while whisking. I didn’t know this until I read all the comments after I made it, trying to find out where I went wrong. Apparently the sauce will break and look curdled when you just dump the milk and cheese in. Would’ve been nice to know this ahead of time. Lots of wasted time and money on a thin broken sauce that looks like watery cottage cheese. We ate it anyways because we aren’t wasteful, but I’d be embarrassed to serve this to anyone else. I gave a few stars for the flavor, which was good! We are big fans of yours and I hope you’ll fix this so others don’t keep making this mistake.
Hey Amy! I’ve never had this happen. I am so sorry! I will update the recipe to include this note. Thank you for the kind feedback. This is so helpful! Apologies for all the trouble!! Xx
Really the only HBH recipe I’ve ever tried that just hasn’t worked. Poured the sad broken sauce down the drain. 🙁