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This easy pumpkin vodka sauce rigatoni pasta dinner is great for a cozy date night in or a soul-warming meal on the weekends this fall. It is super easy and sure to impress!

This may be possibly the best bowl of pasta you will ever make! The rich sage and pumpkin flavor balanced with the sting of vodka and spiciness of curry paste tossed in a rigitoni pasta and garnished with freshly shaved parmesan regianno. This is a super simple meal that sounds fancy, tastes great and is sure to impress anyone who you are serving to.

We just got back from a trip to new york and stopped in a local restaurant La Pecora Bianca to grab a bite to eat and stumbled upon greatness. Their Rigitoni covered with vodka sauce were dying to find a way to recreate this dish when we got home. We decided to take a fall twist by adding pumpkin and changing up traditional spices used in vodka sauce to fit the season. And safe to say, this dish is a close comparison. Snatch the recipe below!!

Pumpkin Vodka Sauce Rigatoni Pasta

What you need to make:

Pumpkin Puree: It may seem a little strange to add pumpkin to pasta, but trust us, it only makes this dish better! The pumpkin puree adds a subtle sweetness to the vodka sauce that is balanced out by other spices in the dish.

Yellow Onion: Sauteed yellow onion is the base of the sauce and adds a nice balance of flavor to the sauce.

Garlic: When you say 4 cloves, we add eight! Haha! We love our garlic and never think too much is enough. We recommend adding about 6 cloves but really who is counting, not us!

Curry Paste: This is not a traditional addition to vodka sauce but, it adds a nice spice and complements the pumpkin. Curry paste is a mixture of red chili peppers, garlic, sea salt and spices to make a paste that adds a great punch of flavor. It is normally found in Thai dishes. But, we found it adds so much flavor to the dish, there is not much need to add additionally seasonings.

Vodka: Just a little goes a long way. The alcohol is cooked out during the cooking process but the flavor and burn of the vodka remains in the dish.

Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds a nice flavor and color to the sauce.

Coconut Cream: Coconut cream makes the vodka sauce rich a creamy. Heavy cream is used in traditional recipes. But, for personal preference we like to alter for coconut cream or full fat coconut milk.

Sage: Sage is a strong herb so it doesn’t take but a couple chopped leaves to add a lot of flavor.

Rigatoni pasta: One of our favorite types of pasta is rigatoni, but you can feel free to use any shape of pasta you like.

How to make this Dish:

Prep the Pasta Water

You will just need two large pots for this recipe. Start by making your pasta and filling one pot with water and heat on stove top over high heat. You will want to generously add salt to the water and allow it to come to a boil. Adding salt to the water adds flavor to your pasta, so you don’t need to add much after cooking.

Make the Sauce

While you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, start prepping the sauce ingredients. Using a sharp knife and a cutting board, mince garlic and chop your onion.

In a dutch oven or deep skillet, toss olive oil, garlic and onions and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft. Be careful watch the garlic and onion to make sure you are not burning the garlic. Next, add in the tomato paste, curry paste and nutmeg. Stir to coat the onions and let it cook for a couple minutes.

After you have let the onions cook in the tomato- pumpkin mixture, add vodka into pan, stirring in and cooking for a couple minutes. Lastly, stir in pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Add in sage and cook for a couple minutes.

Cook pasta according to the package instructions until al dente (firm to the bite). Pause for a moment before you drain your pasta water!! You will want to save a bout a cup of the pasta cooking to add to the sauce. Scoop out one cup and add the salty pasta water to the sauce and stir into the pasta.

Plate your Pasta

Pour the cooked and drained pasta into the dutch oven with the sauce and stir to coat. Plate the pumpkin vodka pasta, season with pepper and garnish with parmesan and basil leaves.

Pumpkin Vodka Sauce Rigatoni Pasta

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Total Time: 33 minutes
Yield: 4 people 1x

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Description

A fall take on the traditional pasta dish, sure to impress on a date night or weekend dinner with friends.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
1 yellow onion
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp red curry paste
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup coconut cream ((opt with heavy cream or coconut milk))
1 lb rigatoni pasta
freshly grated parmesan reggiano

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Instructions

Fill a pot with water and heat on stove top over high heat. Generously add salt to the water and allow it to come to a boil.
While you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, start prepping the sauce ingredients.
Mince garlic, chop your onion. In a dutch oven or deep skillet, toss olive oil, garlic and onions and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add in the tomato paste, curry paste, pumpkin and nutmeg. Stir to coat the onions and let it cook for a couple minutes.
Add vodka into pan, stirring in and cooking for a couple minutes. Lastly, stir in pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Add in sage and cook for a couple minutes.
Cook pasta according to the package instructions until al dente (firm to the bite). Save a bout a cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.
Add the salty pasta water to the sauce and stir into the pasta.
Add pasta to sauce in dutch oven and stir to coat. Plate and season with pepper and garnish with parmesan and basil leaves.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: dinner
Cuisine: Italian