Creamy pumpkin sage pasta with white beans
This creamy pumpkin sage pasta blends canned pumpkin, white beans, soy milk and nutritional yeast into a silky sauce, then tosses it with pasta, more whole beans, spinach and crispy fried sage.
Published .
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Protein
- ~25 g
- The vegan swap
- Blended white beans, soy milk and nutritional yeast stand in for the heavy cream and Parmesan that usually make a pumpkin pasta sauce rich and savory.
- Make ahead
- Store the sauced pasta in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Add a splash of water or soy milk before reheating, since the sauce thickens in the fridge. Keep the sage and pepitas separate so they stay crunchy.
Ingredients
Pasta
Pumpkin sauce
To finish
How to make it
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Toast and crisp
While the water heats, toast the pepitas in a large dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes, until they start to pop. Tip them into a bowl. Add the olive oil to the skillet and fry the sage leaves for about 1 minute, until crisp. Lift them onto a paper towel.
Soften the aromatics
In the same sage-scented oil, cook the shallot for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant but not browned.
Blend the sauce
Scrape the shallot and garlic into a blender with the first can of beans, pumpkin, soy milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Blend for about 1 minute, until completely smooth.
Simmer with beans
Pour the sauce back into the skillet, add the second can of whole beans, and simmer gently for 4 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in the spinach until it just wilts, about 1 minute.
Toss and serve
Add the drained pasta and toss well, splashing in pasta water a little at a time until the sauce is glossy and coats every piece. Taste for salt. Top with crumbled crispy sage, toasted pepitas and plenty of black pepper.
Why this works
Canned pumpkin brings body and gentle sweetness, but on its own it can taste flat and a bit thin. Blending it with white beans and soy milk gives the sauce a velvety, cream-like texture, while nutritional yeast and lemon add the savory, tangy depth you would usually get from cheese.
Frying the sage first does double duty: you get crunchy leaves for the top, and the oil left behind carries sage flavor into the garlic and the whole sauce. Starchy pasta water at the end loosens everything and helps the sauce cling instead of sitting in a puddle.
Tips
- Make sure the can says 100% pumpkin. Pie filling is sweetened and spiced, and it will not taste right here.
- Short pasta with ridges or hollows grabs the most sauce and the whole beans.
- No fresh sage? Stir 1 tsp dried sage into the oil with the garlic instead and skip the frying.
- Swap the pepitas for chopped toasted walnuts if that is what you have.
Questions about this recipe
Can I make this without a blender?
Yes. Mash the first can of beans very well with a fork or potato masher, then whisk it into the pumpkin, soy milk and seasonings in the skillet. The sauce will be a little more rustic but still creamy. An immersion blender right in the pan also works.
Can I use butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin?
Absolutely. Use 1 cup of mashed roasted squash or thawed frozen butternut squash puree. Butternut is a touch sweeter, so add an extra squeeze of lemon to balance it.