Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo
This Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo is creamy, delicious and so easy to make for a chilly Fall evening. Make tonight a comfort food night!
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It seems like pumpkin spice season arrives earlier and earlier every year. I’m looking at you, Starbucks. Each year, Starbucks seems to release the Pumpkin Spice Latte (OMG! The #PSL is back!!) earlier than the year before. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy a good pumpkin spice latte…but on August 25th!? That’s still summer! To be fair, we can’t really blame Starbucks here. Customers line up out the door to get PSL’s, so can you really fault Starbucks for giving customers what they want?
With the internet going absolutely bonkers for anything and everything pumpkin spice, I decided to add in a pumpkin only recipe. Don’t worry – there are plenty of pumpkin spice recipes on this site, too! Every year, pumpkin alfredo pops up all over the place at our local pasta restaurants. Upstate New York has a strong Italian influence, so we have plenty of restaurants that serve pasta in some form or another.
Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo
Every year, I look at the pumpkin alfredo with a suspicious eye. Why in the world would someone put pumpkin into their pasta sauce!? Well, I finally broke down last year and tried it. Holy cow, Batman! Now I know why people put pumpkin into their pasta sauce. The result is a creamy, delicious sauce that literally comes together in minutes. And while there is pumpkin in the sauce, the other pumpkin spice seasonings are noticeably absent – minus a tiny pinch of nutmeg.
So the first question I had about pumpkin alfredo is “Does it taste like pumpkin?” In my head, pumpkin and pumpkin spice are intertwined, so I was a bit skeptical. Well, this pumpkin alfredo does taste like pumpkin…but barely. In fact, Laura couldn’t identify the pumpkin flavor as it was rather subtle. It’s a delicious, creamy sauce, and it doesn’t taste like a Starbucks PSL (OMG! #PSL!).
I’m here to tell ya – if you’ve never tried Pumpkin Alfredo, then this recipe is worth making! I used cheese tortellini as the base here, but any pasta that works well for creamy sauces could be used instead. Classic options are linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle and pappardelle. I must say that I’m a bit partial to the tortellini, though. The added cheese really brings a ton of additional flavor to the finished recipe!
I absolutely love the summer, but there’s always something exciting about this time of the year. The slight chill in the Autumn breeze feels amazing, and it really makes me crave homemade comfort food. (It also makes me crave coffee cake, muffins and homemade breads.)
If you want to put a spin on this recipe, then consider adding some crumbled bacon, roasted Brussels sprouts or perhaps even a pan-fried chicken breast. All of these flavors would pair well with creamy Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo! (Just don’t be surprised when your family goes back for seconds of this one!)
Did you make this Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo? Leave a comment, or better yet snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo
Ingredients
- 12- oz. cheese tortellini
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup yellow onion diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ tsp dried sage
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1¼ cups half-and-half
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese plus more for garnishing
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain tortellini and set aside, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Using a large deep skillet, add butter and place over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic and continue sautéing for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add pumpkin, sage and nutmeg; stir and continue sautéing for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add half-and-half; stir until well combined. Once mixture begins to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add Parmesan cheese and pepper; stir until well combined. Continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add cooked tortellini and toss until well coated. (If necessary, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to loosen sauce.)
- Divide onto plates and garnish with additional grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.
Looking for other tasty pumpkin recipes? Check out some of these favorites, too:
I would have never thought of using pumpkin in a sauce for pasta. I think it sound delicious. I am going to have to give this one a try.
Tell me about it, Dawn! I know pumpkin sounds odd in a pasta sauce, but it’s actually quite amazing. And it’s almost like a secret ingredient since the pumpkin makes the sauce creamy without tasting too much like pumpkin. Just make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling – haha!
Yes, it does seem to arrive earlier and earlier. Though, I do love all things pumpkin spice and fall (my fave) so no real complaints from me! And pumpkin and pasta go so well together! This looks like the ultimate comfort food, especially with those tortellini. It’s rainy, cold and windy here today and a big bowl of this is definitely in oder 😉
I love all things fall, too – although I do feel like fall celebrations need to at least wait until September. August is still summer! Don’t go stealing my summer days away. Haha!
This pumpkin tortellini is quite tasty, and it would indeed be delicious on a rainy and cold day. Stay warm, Dawn!
Order*, not oder! Oh my, lol!
Haha! I didn’t even catch that typo. My brain knew what you were trying to say. 🙂
David, I’ve eaten and made my share of pumpkin/butternut squash ravioli, but it never occurred to me to make a sauce based on pumpkin. Brilliant I say.
Now, about that Starbucks PSL, I just never quite got the thrill of that. But, a latte and Starbucks pumpkin bread is an entirely different thing…
I have to say that this sauce is quite amazing, Ron. The creaminess from the pumpkin is perfect, and I don’t find this one to be overly “pumpkin-y.” In fact, Laura couldn’t identify the pumpkin in there until I told her.
Also, I’m with ya on a latte and a slice of pumpkin bread…man, I could go for that right about now! And a nice quiet place to enjoy it. Haha!
Im with you, David! I was a Pumpkin Alfredo skeptic until I tried it! Now, I’m a total convert! I like to think it makes Alfredo dishes downright healthy. That’s right, isn’t it? Anyway, this tortellini dish looks amazing! I agree, also, adding bacon? brilliant!
It does sound kinda odd, right, Laura? Using pumpkin in an alfredo sauce? Say what? But I’m a convert now – this sauce is tasty and creamy in the best way possible! Thanks so much, my friend!
You think pumkin season arrives early every year, you should see Christmas. In Costco x-mas treees are already on display. LOL I’m loving this pasta pumpkin fusion!
Oh gosh, I know. I was in Sam’s Club (we don’t have a Costco here…yet), and they had some of their Christmas stuff out already. Crazy!
But in other news, I do highly recommend this pumpkin alfredo sauce. It’s amazing! Thanks so much, Tonya!
Honestly I am not a fan of Pumpkin Spice Latte but pumpkin sauce on that pasta! OMG bring it on, that looks so good
I hear ya on the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Raymund. I usually go with half of the syrup…it just gets too sweet for me. Of course, I also really like the actual flavor of coffee, and the pumpkin spice can hide that. Either way, I do highly (!!) recommend making this pumpkin alfredo sauce. It’s creamy and comforting in the best way possible. Thanks so much, my friend!
I know what you mean about the flavor of pumpkin. For most of us, our only exposure to pumpkin is pumpkin pie, or other items with pumpkin pie flavors. Take away the sugar and spices, and I think many people might not recognize pumpkin. Put it into a completely different context, as you have, and I’m not surprised that it’s unrecognizable.
You make an excellent point here, Jeff. All too often pumpkin is equated with pumpkin spice. Now I do enjoy pumpkin spice quite a bit – it’s a combination of many of my favorite baking spices. But pumpkin by itself also brings a great creamy texture, and this alfredo sauce has become a new favorite around here…it’s so easy to make!
I’m a weirdo and am not into the PSL – but this creamy pumpkin alfredo sauce is a very different story. This is my kind of fall comfort food – particularly with tortellini!!
In the ‘too soon’ department, I was in Costco yesterday and they had Christmas decorations!
I understand where you’re coming from on the PSL – I do enjoy them, but at about 1/2 (or less) of the pumpkin spice syrup. I actually like the flavor of coffee, and the spices tend to overpower it. However, this pumpkin alfredo sauce? I’ll take it any day!
Also, Christmas in September? I mean we could say it’s too early, but you know there are people buying it…so can we really blame Costco??
I absolutely love pumpkin – in any form, sweet or savoury! Pasta is one of my favourite ways to enjoy it, and I can tell you – even though it is 9am here… I want to reach through my computer screen right now and devour this pasta! 😀 It looks SO good, my friend!
I hear ya, Alex! It’s 9 am here now, too, and I’m already thinking about making this one again for dinner tonight. The pumpkin alfredo is so creamy and delicious! Hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
I have never cared for Pumpkin Spice Latte (It’s way too overestimated thing), and I am not sure if this is still a trendy stuff in Canada. But I can certainly tell you that these tortellinis are so much better than any PSL, like 100% better. I have made already twice this season pasta with butternut squash sauce, but I like using pumpkin pure for a quicker option, too – it looks and sounds great.
Hmmm…you make a good point, Ben. I wonder if PSL is as popular in Canada as it is here? I would assume so. After all, Canada is only about an hour(ish) from here, and the lines at our Starbucks are around the corner all day long with people waiting for PSLs. Either way, I do like this savory version. The alfredo sauce is so creamy…perfect for on top of tortellini!
Savory pumpkin dishes are quite delicious but I don’t have them often enough. I can’t wait to give this a try! Sounds delicious to me!!!
I’m with ya, Kathy. Savory pumpkin dishes definitely take a back seat to pumpkin spice dishes, but they deserve more attention. This pasta is an easy (and delicious) way to work some savory pumpkin into the line-up! 🙂
i’ve sometimes made vego lasagne with pumpkin. delish! so i’m sure this would be too.
Hmmm…lasagna with pumpkin! That’s a fun idea. I’ll have to try that one next. Thanks for the idea, Sherry!
Mmmm, this looks so comforting David. Loved the idea of using pumpkin puree for pasta sauce. Pinning and making.
I used to be skeptical about pumpkin in a pasta sauce…not anymore! This one is quite tasty, Rahul. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Omg! what a fantastic way to use the pumpkin. Just love the idea of pumpkin alfredo. Looks so creamy, never taught of making the pasta sauce with the pumpkin puree, great twist to the usual pasta sauce. I have book marked this recipe to try, as soon as I stock up my groceries!
This pumpkin alfredo is so creamy and comforting, Aarthi! I know it might seem a bit unusual – at least here in the States, pumpkin is almost always associated with pumpkin spice. But using pumpkin in a pasta sauce is quite tasty! I do highly recommend it. 🙂
Perfect!
Thanks so much, Erika!