Description
This cheesy pumpkin pasta bake with mushrooms is rich, creamy, and comforting. Perfect for fall dinners, it’s vegetarian-friendly and great for meal prep.
Ingredients
1 lb dry pasta (mezzi rigatoni, shells, ziti, fusilli, or farfalle)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage, divided
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3–4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin purée
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese (or substitute with Gruyere)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. Cook pasta until 2 minutes shy of al dente, drain and set aside.
3. In sauté pan, melt butter and toast walnuts with 1 Tbsp sage for about 5 minutes; season with salt and set aside.
4. In the same pan, heat olive oil; sauté mushrooms and onion for about 8 minutes until soft.
5. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook for 3–4 minutes until paste darkens.
6. Add spinach gradually, stirring until wilted. Add oregano, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining sage.
7. Deglaze pan with broth. Stir in pumpkin purée, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup fontina until melted and creamy.
8. Add pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.
9. Transfer mixture to greased 13×9″ baking dish. Top with remaining fontina and walnut-sage topping.
10. Cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat with a splash of broth in microwave or oven at 350ºF.
Pairs well with warm salads, roasted veggies, or garlic bread.
Use Gruyere or Havarti if fontina is unavailable.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 770mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 68g
- Fiber: 22g
- Protein: 22g