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pumpkin pasta sauce with rigatoni pasta
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How To Cook Rigatoni Pasta With Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Pumpkin pasta sauce with rigatoni pasta makes an easy, delicious side dish for dinner, lunch or any holiday meal!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword how to cook rigatoni pasta, pumpkin pasta sauce, rigatoni pasta
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 446kcal
Author PA

Ingredients

for the pumpkin pasta sauce:

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree I used leftover canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sage
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • salt adjust to taste

for the pasta:

  • 16 oz rigatoni pasta or penne pasta (you may use another kind of pasta if you wish)
  • salt adjust to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese optional

Instructions

to cook the riagtoni pasta:

  • Cook the rigatoni pasta in enough water and salt following package instructions to make al dente pasta (not too soft but cooked just enough). Drain water and keep the cooked pasta aside. In general, I cook the rigatoni pasta in lightly salted boiling water for about 9 minutes so I get perfectly cooked al dente rigatoni pasta, but always follow package directions for the best results.
  • Add one tablespoon olive oil and mix with cooked pasta, this will help with the pasta shells not sticking together.
    Also add the butter to the hot pasta, stir in gently to combine, keep this aside (you may add some light seasoning too if you like).

to make pumpkin pasta sauce:

  • In a pan, add the marinara sauce (you can use any of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce as well).
  • Also add the pumpkin puree and olive oil, mix well.
  • Turn on heat and cook in low heat (while stirring the sauce to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan) for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Also add butter, seasonings (sage, oregano, italian seasoning, basil) and enough salt, mix well and simmer for another 2 minutes until the flavors are all well blended with the sauce.
  • Turn off the heat and keep the preapred pumpkin pasta sauce aside!

To make pumpkin pasta:

  • Based on your preference, you may either top the cooked pasta with prepared pumpkin pasta sauce or you may mix the pasta with pumpkin pasta sauce.
  • It tastes delicious even when just served on top of al dente cooked pasta, which makes a simple, yummy pasta side dish.
  • Also, to make it more rich and cheesy, add the shredded cheddar cheese (or use Mexican blend cheese or any of your favorite go to cheese for pasta), mix well to combine with pasta and pumpkin sauce to make a delicious meal!

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5541IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 238mg | Iron: 2mg