Creamy Pumpkin Almond Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Dutch-style pasta with a blended pumpkin and almond cream sauce, enriched with roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Boiled pumpkin chunks are blended with sauteed aromatics, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetable stock into a thick, savory sauce. Finished with toasted almonds and fresh herbs for textural contrast.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta, your choice
- 1 lb pumpkin, cut into chunks
- 9 oz cherry tomatoes, whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into pieces
- 1 ¾ oz sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 can canned tomato chunks, 400 g
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp almond pastetahini1:1vegantree_nuts-free
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- 1 handful fresh basil, whole leaves
- 1 handful almonds, finely chopped
Instructions
- 1
Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- 2
In another pot, bring water to a boil. Cut pumpkin into chunks and add to boiling water. Cook until tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Drain.
- 3
Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse cherry tomatoes and place in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper and salt to taste. Roast for approximately 20 minutes. Remove and cool.
- 4
Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute briefly.
- 5
After 2-3 minutes, add red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and nutmeg. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes.
- 6
Transfer the sauteed vegetables to a blender along with cooked pumpkin chunks, canned tomato chunks, vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, and almond paste. Blend until thick and creamy. Add more stock if sauce is too thick.
- 7
Pour sauce into the pot with drained pasta and mix well. Divide into deep bowls and garnish with fresh basil and chopped almonds.
- 8
Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes. Season with additional pepper and salt to taste.
Tips
Adjust vegetable stock gradually when blending to reach desired sauce consistency.
Roast cherry tomatoes while pumpkin cooks to optimize timing.
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 3 days. Freeze sauce separately up to 1 month.
Prepare pumpkin and roast tomatoes up to 1 day in advance. Make sauce up to 2 days ahead and reheat gently before tossing with fresh pasta.
Serve in deep bowls with roasted cherry tomatoes on top and fresh basil as garnish. Offer extra pepper and salt for seasoning at table.
Common Mistakes
Do not over-blend sauce to avoid losing texture entirely; blend until thick but not baby-food consistency.
Do not skip draining pumpkin thoroughly to avoid watery sauce.