Pumpkin Alfredo
Alfredo is quite possibly my most favorite way to dress up pasta. Unfortunately, I have developed a sensitivity to dairy, so I need to reduce the dairy load of my dishes as much as possible. One way to do this for this particular dish, is to replace the heavy cream with almond milk. This pumpkin alfredo is a great alternative to traditional alfredo, because it’s lower in dairy (and saturated fat!) while still retaining the creaminess one would expect. I also decided to use black bean pasta to make the dish gluten free as well :). Pumpkin alfredo is also a great dish during the Fall season when pumpkins are abundant. If you’re up for a fun twist on traditional alfredo, then give this recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed! 🙂
What is in an Alfredo sauce?
An alfredo sauce is a basic white sauce consisting of butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. However, in this recipe we will be replacing the heavy cream with milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) to make the dish a lot healthier :).
How do you make Alfredo sauce thicker?
For this recipe, you can keep it on the thicker side by adding in less milk and reserved pasta water. If you accidentally add too much, you can always thicken it back up by adding in more pumpkin or Parmesan cheese.
How do you thin out Alfredo sauce?
For this recipe, you can thin out the alfredo sauce with either milk or reserved pasta water.
How To Make Pumpkin Alfredo
1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (per package instructions). Drain pasta, reserving a ladle amount of starch water. The importance of the starch water is that when added to the alfredo sauce, it will help the sauce bind to the pasta.
2. Melt butter over low-medium heat in a pan. Stir in garlic and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant.
3. Add milk (I used unsweetened almond milk), pumpkin, nutmeg, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Stir until combined. Heat sauce over medium heat with occasional stirring until the cheese is melted. If the sauce is too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water a little bit at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved (I like my sauce on the thicker side).
4. Add pasta to the sauce, and cook over medium-high heat until sauce is smooth and pasta is well coated; about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan if desired.
Pumpkin Alfredo
Ingredients
- 10 oz. any pasta of your choice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3-1/2 cup any milk of your choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + extra for garnish
- Freshly ground Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water until al dente (per package instructions). Drain pasta, reserving a ladle amount of starch water.
- Melt butter over low-medium heat in a pan. Stir in garlic and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant.
- Add milk, pumpkin, nutmeg, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Stir until combined. Heat sauce over medium heat with occasional stirring until the cheese is melted. If the sauce is too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water a little bit at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Add pasta to the sauce, and cook over medium-high heat until sauce is smooth and pasta is well coated; about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan if desired.
Recipe heavily adapted from Kristin at Yellow Bliss Road.
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the past 2 years we are eating a lot of pumpkin and especially in salty recipes. Everytime I try to figure another way how to use it in our food and your recipe is simply perfect for that. Thank you for sharing
This sounds amazing! I love anything with pumpkin but have never seen it made this way. I will definitely be giving this one a try in the fall when the pumpkins are in full swing!
This looks creamy and delicious. I love pasta, it will be interesting to make it with pumpkin puree. I will try this recipe for sure!
This sounds so delicious! Looks like we may just try it for the weekend… time to go shopping !
Sounds like a really interesting dish. I love anything cooked in coconut cream. It is just so delicious! I am adding this pumpkin alftredo dish to our menu plan for next week. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
A very simple and healthy recipe. I’m sure I’ll try to make Pumpkin Alfredo.
This looks really delicious and nutritious, with a very simple cooking procedure. Definitely one worth trying.
I love pasta alfredo! and adding pumpkin is such a cool idea! i am would love to try the recipe! i’ll do that this weekend!
I love pasta and this pumpkin Alfredo looks delicious! Must try.