MARTHASTEWART.COM

Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Canned pumpkin puree isn't only good for pie; here, it becomes a creamy sauce for penne, topped with deliciously crunchy fried rosemary.
Everyday Food, November Winter 2007
  • Prep Time 10 minutes
  • Total Time 30 minutes
  • Yield Serves 4
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Ingredients

  • 12 ounces penne rigate (ridged), or other short pasta
  • Coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

  2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium. Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary
    to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot.

  3. Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup reserved pasta water to pot. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water. Season generously with salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes.

Cook's Note

Frying rosemary in olive oil not only turns the herb into a crispy garnish -- it also infuses the oil to create a tasty base for the pumpkin sauce.

Recipe Reviews

  • ram9270
    28 Nov, 2011

    Yuck. Neither my husband nor I liked it much. The garlic ruined it and the rest tasted just bland. Won't be making this again.

  • greenefive
    9 Nov, 2011

    We made this tonight- even my non-veggie eaters loved it. We eat gluten free, so we used gluten free penne - great recipe, will make again - can't believe I waited 4 yrs to try it!

  • GrnIdLdy
    4 Nov, 2011

    This is wonderful as a pot luck dish. I added a little pumpkin pie spice and garnished with a little cinnamon sprinkle. And warmed the cream before adding. It was a huge hit with our pot luck

  • GrnIdLdy
    4 Nov, 2011

    This is wonderful as a pot luck dish. I added a little pumpkin pie spice and garnished with a little cinnamon sprinkle. And warmed the cream before adding. It was a huge hit with our pot luck

  • nblack
    1 Nov, 2011

    I made this against my better judgement but was pleasantly surprised! My husband and I actually liked it. It does require a fair amount of salt. I also didn't want to use half and half, so I used milk and finished with some healthy margarine at the end. Pumpkin is so nutritious, so this is a good, non-sweet way to work it into your diet.

  • SarahTSwanner
    1 Nov, 2011

    I was really disappointed in this recipe. I usually love anything pumpkin and found this dish very bland. My husband, who usually eats almost everything put in front on him, barely ate half his plate. I agree with the other reviews that the half-and-half should be listed later so as not to curdle, as mine did. Please review this recipe for needed improvements.

  • psofey
    17 May, 2011

    Ever since this appeared in the magazine it's been an autumn/winter staple in our home. It's so good! Savory pumpkin dishes are underrated, and so comforting and delicious. Follow the recipe exactly and don't skip the vinegar, it adds a perfect punch. LOVE the crisp rosemary. Yum!

  • musictherapist
    25 Oct, 2010

    BE CAREFUL when cooking this recipe. When I added the cream as the 3rd ingredient (as advised) it CURDLED. Completely ruined the sauce! I think the recipe should warn you to either warm the cream or add it last to prevent curdling. Plus, the sauce was very bland (even with tons of salt) and I didn't taste any pumpkin:-(

  • musictherapist
    25 Oct, 2010

    BE CAREFUL when making this recipe! When I added the cream to the sauce mixture it CURDLED. The instructions dictate that the cream is to be added to the pan (which has hot oil in it) after the pumpkin, so I thought it would be ok. It completely ruined the sauce (and I think the recipe should change the order of the ingredients added and/or suggest warming the cream. Plus, it wasn't very flavorful, I barely tasted any pumpkin:-(

  • Choucroute
    11 Oct, 2010

    I just made this for dinner, and it tasted great!! I used fresh pumpkin puree, tricolor rotini, apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar, and added sliced mushrooms to the sauce. Wonderful meatless meal!!

  • catherine495
    18 Oct, 2009

    I was surprised at how fabulous this was. Easy and delicious.

  • Puyi
    10 Feb, 2009

    This is a great recipe! I loved it! It's smooth and spicy and just wonderful. Plus it's a breeze to make so it's great for a good-healthy weekday meal. Didn't have white wine vinegar so I used white wine...don't know if that makes a lot of difference, but this is definitively a keeper. Enjoy!

  • jamym42
    7 Feb, 2009

    I was dubious at first, but this recipe is now one of my favorites. I thought it was lacking flavor initially, but I added some extra parmesan and a LOT of salt (when she says "generously," she means it!) and it was fantastic! Will make again, probably next week :)

  • butterymuskrat
    3 Nov, 2008

    I tried this recipe with much reluctance, and at the last minute I saw that I needed to add vinegar - sorry Martha but that just sounds nasty. I used about 1/2 a cup of sweet white wine that my boyfriend and I hadn't opened yet and let me tell you, it was pretty good. My theory is that she meant to say 'sweet, tasty white wine' instead of 'white wine vinegar'.

  • marthasmail
    30 Oct, 2008

    This wasn't one of my family's favorites. When you think of pumpkin you would think that it would be a little on the sweet side. This was missing the taste we were all hoping for. I wouldn't make this again.

  • LotusFlowers
    18 Oct, 2008

    This was just OK. I wouldnt male again. The vinegar flavor was a little weird.

  • adozeneggs
    15 Oct, 2008

    I made this for a dinner party along with a few other dishes. It was really good, even the kids liked it.