This Creamy Pumpkin Rigatoni is a crowd pleasing, cheesy and delicious supper! Canned pumpkin is combined with a handful of ingredients which cut calories and add all the flavor.
I Heart Pasta
Does anyone else get excited about pasta? I mean, like, really excited.
Sure, I love pasta as much as the next person. But what I’m really talking about here is the TYPE of pasta. I grew up on the thinnest pasta out there: angel hair. And after so many years of the delicate pasta strands, bathed in sharp tomato sauce and topped with meatballs, once I started grocery shopping , I realized how often I reached for anything but the fine pasta. I would buy orzo, penne, linguine, bucatini, orecchiette, shells, rotini, or maybe in a pinch, a classic box of regular spaghetti. I yearned for different textures, learning about how the different cuts of pastas would compliment different ingredients.
There’s one pasta that always made me extra happy: rigatoni.
For whatever reason, rigatoni soon became synonymous with a special, delicious meal. Whether it was transformed in to a delicious and bubbling pasta bake, cloaked in a creamy tomato sauce, or tossed with roasted veggies and herby oil, every time I ate rigatoni…I knew it would be good.
This Creamy Pumpkin Rigatoni is no exception!
Creamy Pumpkin Rigatoni
When a dish has the word “creamy” in the title, let me guess where you’re head goes…
Heavy cream. Half and half. Full fat. Whole milk. Copious amounts of cheese.
Am I right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but…you’re wrong.
With a few smart substitutes and a lighter hand, there’s no reason your rigatoni (or whatever pasta is your favorite!) can’t be supremely creamy.
How To Make Pasta Creamy Without The Cream
The key to making creamy pasta smooth and velvety without the added calories and fat that comes with heavy cream? It’s evaporated milk!
Wait, what the heck is evaporated milk again?
Very glad you asked! Evaporated milk is similar to sweetened condensed milk: think of it as the little brother to the thick canned milk used in many desserts. 60% of the water has been removed, making it a thicker, and thus, condensed version of milk. Heavy cream has more than twice as many calories and up to five times the fat content of evaporated milk. But the big question is: does it create the same creaminess that heavy cream can?
You tell me:
Creamy Pumpkin Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
- 15 oz canned pumpkin
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmigianno reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions, cooking until al dente. Be sure you reserve some of the pasta water once the pasta is done cooking.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pumpkin cream sauce. In a large pan set over medium heat, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add minced onion, garlic, and spices. Saute until frgarant, about 1 minute. Add in canned pumpkin and evaporated milk. Whisk completely to combine. Allow sauce to cook for 10 minutes.
- Add parmigianno reggiano cheese, stirring until cheese has melted. Add cooked and drained pasta to the sauce, stirring to coat the rigatoni. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce out as needed. Start by adding just 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring, and adding more if needed. This allows the sauce to get extra velvety.
- Serve pasta with fresh sage and extra parmigianno reggiano cheese.