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This silky, smooth, and extra creamy Pumpkin Pasta Alla Vodka is the perfect cozy autumn recipe. Rigatoni pasta is tossed in a spicy sage pumpkin butter vodka sauce. It’s just as yummy and delicious as it sounds. The sweet pumpkin adds a vibrant layer of color, flavor, and richness to this already silky, smooth, and creamy pasta. It’s so scrumptious with crusty, warm bread and a big fall salad.
I’ve mentioned this before, but while most prefer to bake with pumpkin, I actually love to cook with it! It’s so versatile and adds warmth, sweetness, and richness to savory dishes. I love mixing it in soups and chili and incorporating it into a creamy pasta sauce.
With my family’s love of my classic pasta alla vodka recipe, I knew a pumpkin pasta alla vodka recipe would go over well, so I was excited to create it.
Right away, I knew that pumpkin, along with some sage and spicy Calabrian chili paste, would be delicious mixed into my classic alla vodka recipe.
I also used some extra parmesan in this alla vodka because I adore the flavors of sweet pumpkin and the rich, nutty flavor of parmesan. It’s the perfect fall pairing that’s so underrated.
I’ve decided that while some people are great at pairing food with wine, I’m pretty good at pairing cheeses with pasta!
Let’s Get Into the Details
Ingredients
- olive oil
- shallots
- garlic
- fresh sage
- dried oregano
- Calabrian chili paste
- chili flakes
- tomato paste
- canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
- vodka (or use water with 1 tablespoon apple vinegar)
- heavy cream
- pasta, I used rigatoni (BUT you could use a cute pumpkin pasta)
- salted butter
- parmesan cheese
Special Tools
None. You just need a skillet with sides and a pot to cook the pasta in.
Step 1: make the pumpkin vodka sauce
Cook the shallot, garlic, fresh sage, and dried oregano in olive oil until the shallot softens.
Now add the Calabrian chili paste. I like to use 2 rounded tablespoons. However, if you’re sensitive to spice, use 1 tablespoon.
For even more spice, add a pinch of chili flakes to the chili pasta. Then, add the tomato paste and the pumpkin. Cook this mix until thickened.
Step 2: add the vodka, mix in the cream
Mix in the Vodka and allow it to cook into the pumpkin sauce. If you don’t like to cook with alcohol, use 1/4 cup water with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
Mix in the cream, then season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Step 3: boil the pasta
Cook the pasta. Use any shortcut pasta you love. I use rigatoni, but if I had access to Trader Joe’s, I would use their dried pumpkin-shaped pasta. So cute!
Save some pasta water before draining, then drain.
Step 4: mix in the pasta
Now add the pasta, the parmesan, and some of the pasta cooking water to the sauce.
Cook the sage leaves in butter and serve the sage butter over the pasta with even more Parmesan! So yummy!
The sauce is creamy, with warming notes of pumpkin and sage and nuttiness from the parmesan. It’s my favorite combo.
Perfect for chillier nights or when you need to throw together a quick dinner!
Looking for other simple winter pasta dishes? Here are my favorites:
4 Cheese Sage Pesto Florentine Lasagna
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Lastly, if you make this Pumpkin Pasta Alla Vodka, 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!
Pumpkin Pasta Alla Vodka
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 686 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste
- chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin pureè
- 1/4 cup vodka
- salt and black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- 1. In a skillet with sides set over medium heat, cook the olive oil, shallot, garlic, sage, and oregano until the shallots soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the chili paste, tomato paste, pumpkin, and chili flakes (use these to your taste), cook for 4-5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the vodka and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the cream—season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain.3. To the vodka sauce, add the pasta, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and 3 tablespoons butter, tossing until the butter has melted. Add the parmesan. If needed, thin the sauce with additional pasta cooking water.4. In a small skillet, cook 1 tablespoon of butter with the sage until the sage is crispy. 5. Divide the pasta among plates and top with sage and cheese. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 14, 2024
Super easy and delicious.
Hi Suzanne,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
This was delicious! I loved the subtle pumpkin flavor and how creamy it was.
Hey Lucy,
Thanks so much for trying this pasta! I’m so glad it was enjoyed! have a nice weekend! xx
OMG! I am wondering how this only gets a 4.79 rating and only 14 votes so far. Just reading the ingredient list made me salivate. I saw one person that only gave it a 4 rating, but they weren’t big fans of pumpkin AND they didn’t use the Calabrian chiles. For one thing, the pumpkin flavor ends up being very subtle and quite nice (I am sure you could use another winter squash, cook it very well and puree it…but canned pumpkin was so easy). Also, I think the Calabrian chiles are a must for this recipe. I am a huge fan of them anyway (thank you Bobby Flay) because of their wonderful flavor and perfect heat. Just using pepper flakes won’t provide this. This sauce was absolutely outstanding and I will be making it again and again. I served it with grilled Duroc bone-in pork chops, which ended up being the perfect compliment. Tonight I am serving the leftovers with veal chops in a cast iron skillet (I saved some pasta water to loosen up the leftover pasta. BTW…my wife and I limit the carbs we eat, so I made this with Carba-Nada fusilli pasta (excellent product made in Germany), which have just 24g net carbs per serving vs close to 50 for a regular pasta product and still offers excellent texture. The curly pasta held the sauce beautifully. Yum, yum, yum!!!
Thank you so much, Chris:) I appreciate you trying this pasta and sharing all of these details! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Have the best weekend! xx
I made this for a quick dinner option last night and I couldn’t get over the amazing flavor of the vodka sauce! A little spicy, a little creamy, very well balanced! The pumpkin adds a great level of creaminess and thickness to the sauce. For those of you who don’t trust cooking with pumpkin, give it a TRY! You won’t regret it!
Hey Jess,
Wonderful! Thank you for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have the best day! xx
This was an easy yummy fall recipe. I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin, so I didn’t absolutely love this recipe (but if people do like pumpkin they definitely would). But I am glad I tried it and definitely will be eating the extra for leftovers😊. I didn’t have the chili paste so I added more chili flakes to serve as a substitute. And you would think I would be patient enough to make the crispy sage as I have made it before for your other recipes, but, I wasn’t lol. I know it would have been the perfect addition, but regardless the pasta was good anyway! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Ashlynn,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Have the best day! xx
I want to make this and purchased the ingredients. I noticed that there is garam Marsala in the pictures. Is that added to the sauce? I see othered commented on it but I didn’t see an answer. I do have a bottle and would like to know how much to add if it is actually part of the recipe.
Thank you.
Hi Nancy,
So sorry for any confusion, there is no garam masala in this recipe, you can follow it as written. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Is there a difference between adding the cheese while the sauce is being made vs when adding the pasta? In the video it looks like the cheese is added before the pasta
Hi there,
You will want to add the parmesan is step 3 as written:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Is the Garam Masala added to the sauce and about how much would you suggest?
Hi Halsey,
Sorry for any confusion, there is no garam masala in this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try! xT
This was delicious! I didn’t add any additional chili flakes and found it to be plenty hot.
Hey Danielle,
Happy Weekend!🍁 I’m so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xXT
This was delicious and very spicy as well as nicely creamy. I basically followed the recipe but couldn’t find the chile paste (and we don’t shop at Target), so just used chopped Calabrian chiles, which worked out perfectly. Definitely will be making this again!
Hey Helen,
Happy Halloween! 🎃 Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment! Love to hear it was a winner! XxT
Simple and excellent! I did not change a thing, thank you!
Hey Anne Marie,
Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it! xT
This is delicious! A very comforting and very creative fall pasta! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Katie! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you! I appreciate you giving it a try! 🎃 xXT
I love your recipes and I’m looking forward to making this recipe this week but have a question. If I can’t find Calabrian chili paste can I substitute Pate Di Peperoncino? The internet has mixed comments on the subject. Thank you!
Thanks so much!! Sure, I think that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Don’t worry about finding Calabrian chile paste. I used crushed Calabrian chiles, which I always have on hand, which is just fine. It is the Calabrian chile flavore that you really want.
Absolutely delicious used squash(because that’s what I had) instead of pumpkin and added a little prosciutto! And enjoy with a good glass of wine ❤️
Hi Jessica,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Love to hear that it turned out well for you:) Happy Thursday! xT
Absolutely deeellish! Your recipes never disappoint
Thanks so much, Sally!!
One of the best pastas I think I have ever made! My partner LOVED it, couldn’t stop telling me how delicious it was.
Aww, thanks so much, Michelle! So glad to hear you both enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! xT
It came out bland for me. Used half n half instead of cream and literal Calabrian chili paste, just chilis and oil (but not the one linked). Came out VERY spicy, but relatively bland otherwise. Watched the video again, looks like some trader joes garam masala was used as well (had it, so added it), and it came out better.
Please make sure all ingredients are listed in the recipe! Like the trader joes garam masala that was nowhere to be found in the recipe.
Also include if you’re using a specific ingredient, like that unnamed chili paste that has tomato, carrots, onions and then chilis!
Hi Jill,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear it was bland. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! xx