Description
This creamy gluten-free pumpkin pasta with bacon is rich and savory with warm spices and plenty of cheese! Topped with bacon, crispy thyme, and Parmesan, it’s an easy comfort food perfect for fall. Dairy-free and vegetarian options.
Ingredients
- 8-12 ounces Delallo gluten-free pappardelle or penne
- Light olive oil or butter (as needed)
- 2-3 strips thick-cut bacon
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs or 2-3 sage leaves
- 1 small shallot or yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons minced
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or unsweetened non-dairy creamer (I used Califia half & half substitute)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4-1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano *see notes if dairy-free
Instructions
- See prep tip in notes before cooking pasta. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water. Then drain and return to the pot off heat. Toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp (cut into smaller pieces first for faster cooking, if desired). Remove, crumble, and set aside, leaving about 1 tablespoon bacon fat in the pan.
- Crisp the thyme or sage in the bacon fat for 20–30 seconds per side, then transfer to a paper towel. Be careful of splatters. This step is optional.
- Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, adding butter or oil if needed, until softened. Stir in the pumpkin purée, broth, smoked paprika, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 3–4 minutes
- Stir in the cream and Parmesan, then let the sauce simmer until slightly thickened, 3–4 minutes. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water if needed.
- At this stage, you have two options. For a silky smooth sauce, blend with an immersion blender until creamy. For a more rustic sauce, skip blending.
- Toss the pasta with a splash of reserved water to loosen (if needed), then gently fold into the pumpkin sauce until well coated. Stir in half of the bacon.
- Serve topped with the remaining bacon, crispy sage/thyme, extra Parmesan, and black pepper.
Notes
Prep Tip: I like to cook the pasta while the sauce simmers so it’s ready to toss together seamlessly once the pasta’s done. If cooking ahead, toss pasta with a little olive oil (as mentioned) to prevent clumping and reserve pasta water separately to loosen the sauce if needed.
Texture Tip: Canned pumpkin purée can vary in thickness depending on the brand. Adjust the sauce consistency as needed with a little pasta water or extra cream to reach your desired texture.
For a vegetarian version: Skip the bacon and use plant-based or regular butter for sautéing the aromatics. The smoked paprika will help add depth. For the topping, swap the bacon crumbles for roasted and salted walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds for a similar crunch.
For a dairy-free version: Do not blend the Parmesan into the sauce. Instead, keep it separate and let anyone who eats dairy add it as a topping at the end for extra cheesy flavor. Alternatively, if you prefer the cheesy flavor, swap the Parmesan in the sauce for nutritional yeast.
Make-Ahead & Storage: Sauce can be made 1–2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Reheat gently with a splash of broth or cream. Leftover pasta keeps up to 3 days; reheat with a little liquid. Sauce alone can be frozen up to 2 months—thaw overnight and reheat before tossing with fresh pasta. plash of broth or cream.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20–25 minutes
- Category: main, pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: italian american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ounces of pasta with sauce
- Calories: 317
- Sugar: 2.3 g
- Sodium: 414.1 mg
- Fat: 7.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.3 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 11.3 g
- Cholesterol: 81.9 mg
