Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Without Cream
Rigatoni in a savory pumpkin, garlic and sage sauce loosened with pasta water, without dairy ingredients.
Equipment
- 1 Pasta pot, wide skillet, colander, heatproof jug and wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 300 g dry rigatoni or a similar short pasta; follow package timing
- 300 g plain pumpkin puree not sweetened pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 100 g onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 200 ml low-sodium vegetable broth check labels; no pork-derived ingredients
- 250 ml reserved pasta cooking water collect before draining; use only as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt plus salt for pasta water according to preference
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil. In a separate wide skillet heat olive oil over medium heat and soften onion for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and dried sage for 30 seconds without darkening the garlic.
- Stir pumpkin puree and vegetable broth into the skillet. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring the bottom. Add the measured salt and black pepper; keep the thick sauce at a gentle simmer, not a spitting boil.
- Meanwhile cook the rigatoni until just tender according to the package. Collect 250 ml cloudy pasta water in a heatproof jug before draining. Drain without rinsing.
- Toss pasta into the sauce with 100 ml reserved water over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add further small splashes only as needed to coat loosely. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, taste and serve. Sauce thickens as it stands.
Notes
Serves 4. Contains wheat with standard rigatoni. Base recipe has no cream, milk, cheese, butter or coconut cream; check packaged pasta/broth for allergens. Reserve water is adjustable and not all must be added. This uses a skillet and pasta pot, not a one-pot method.
No pork or pork-derived ingredients. Timings are estimates; generated images illustrate intended stages, not physical kitchen testing.