This Pumpkin Pasta Bake is a belly-filling dish made of tender pasta tossed into a pumpkin-infused herb sauce. It is topped with a vegan buttery crumb and baked to golden perfection. This lightened-up vegan pasta recipe is great to enjoy all year round but is especially good during the fall season.
5piecesfresh sage leavesminced (or 1 teaspoon of dried leaves)
2 ½cupsvegetable broth
1cuppumpkin puree
1cuppanko bread crumbs
2Tablespoonsvegan butter
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside when finished.
While pasta is cooking, vegan butter in a large saucepan, over medium-low heat. Once it is melted, sprinkle in flour.
Cook butter-flour mixture until it begins to turn gold, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Once it begins to change color, add minced garlic and sage and cook one minute more, while stirring.
Whisking constantly and quickly, slowly add vegetable broth. Continue whisking, raise heat to medium-high and cook until mixture is boiling and thick.
Turn the heat off. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the cooked pasta and sauce and toss to coat. Pour the pasta into 2 ½ qt. baking dish. If pasta looks dry, pour another ¼ - ½ C. stock or water over the top and stir. Set aside.
In a medium pan, melt 2 T. butter. Add panko bread crumbs and stir until coated. Remove from heat and sprinkle over pasta.
Bake pasta 20-25 minutes, or until panko topping is golden-brown.
Notes
Boil the pasta until al dente. If the package instruction does not specify how long the boiling time for al dente is, take off 2 minutes from total cook time.
Check your seasoning. Before putting your pasta bake in the oven, make sure everything is well seasoned. Remember to use salted water for your pasta and season your sauce as needed.
Let your pasta bake rest before serving. I understand how tempting it is to eat it right out of the oven. However, it’s important to wait 5-10 minutes for the pasta to firm up, making it easier to serve and eat.