Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Savory with a hint of sweetness. The pumpkin flavor is enhanced by the nutmeg which tastes surprisingly good with lots of cheese! Texture: Thick, rich, creamy, cheesy, al dente. Ease: Easy enough to be a weeknight meal. Appearance: This dish just looks incredibly rich and creamy. Pros: Fun way to incorporate (healthy) pumpkin into your meals. Cons: The cream and cheese is not so healthy. Would I make this again? Yes. Next time I might incorporate some sage into the dish.This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I am officially suffering from senioritis. This is my last semester of academic classes before I earn my bachelor’s degree and I’m already sick of reading assignments, essays, and tests. It’s not because I don’t enjoy learning or being challenged, I think it’s because I’m excited to move on to the next chapter of my life. All I’ve ever done is school and with this blog and my upcoming cookbook, I’m eager to dedicate my focus to those things and towards creating a career. I really wonder where life will take me after school…
On to the food. I adore pumpkin in desserts but have never tried it in a savory dish. This dish pleasantly surprised me! The pumpkin taste wasn’t quite what I’m used to without the help of pumpkin pie spices, it seemed a little less intense. This dish would be perfect for a weeknight meal to serve to the whole family (kids included).
Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 2 (9-ounce) packages cheese tortellini
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to label directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta.
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Meanwhile, heat the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the cream and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and cook until thick, about 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Add the tortellini to the skillet and toss with the sauce, adding the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Divide among four bowls and top with more cheese and the parsley. Serve.
Came across this recipe while searching Foodgawker for pumpkin pasta sauces, so glad I decided to make it! Super easy and really delicious, a new favorite autumn recipe! Thank you! 🙂
Loved this! Perfect autumn recipe. My son was a huge fan.
I have made this several times now. The sauce is amazing. I add a little bit of sage and I substituted fat free half and half for the cream, since I’m trying to watch my intake. But it is so delicious and creamy I can’t get over it! Fantastic recipe.
I’m curious why you didn’t cite your source. It’s taken almost word-for-word from The Food Network.
Anonymous, thanks for pointing out that error! I always include sources but it would appear this time I forgot :/ I’m still getting used to my new recipe formatting with the new site design which has a special section for sources. Anyways, error fixed!
Wondering if it would work to make the sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge? I want to bring this to a potluck this Thursday but I don’t know if I have time to make it all that night; if I could make the sauce Wednesday and then just cook the tortellini and heat up the sauce, I could pull it off! 🙂
Sorry I missed your comment. Did you end up reheating it okay?
Just made this – was so good!! Perfect for a quick evening meal.
I had butternut squash ravioli on hand and added chicken/artichoke/smoked mozzerella sausages from the freezer in addition to a handful of ribboned kale and a splash of wine at the end. Seriously one of the best meals I’ve made in a while – thanks so much for posted the recipe!