Pumpkin Vodka Pasta
Your Fall/Thanksgiving take on the world-favorite vodka pasta sauce. I surprisingly love this. In my head, I never would have thought that tomatoes and pumpkin go together, but given my holiday spirit of adding pumpkin to everything I make to see if it sticks, this one stuck. It showcases more of the sweet, fall herbs and pumpkin than the savory tomato flavors but nonetheless, they complement each other well. It’s super easy to just throw together if you need a side and it’s easy to make in masse if you’re trying to feed a lot of people.
Pumpkin Vodka Pasta
The sweet, fall herbs and pumpkin complement the savory tones of the tomato incredibly well. And vodka. Enough said.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. pasta noodles
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 t salt
- ½ t red pepper flakes
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- ½ cup vodka
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 T honey
- ½ t nutmeg
- 1 T sage
- 1 t thyme
- 5-10 small bay leaves
Instructions
- Cook your pasta noodles according to the directions on the package. Make sure to reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water to add to the sauce.
- Heat your olive oil and butter in a large pot over low/medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 4-5 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.
- Add the vodka and cook for 2-3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, and honey until it's completely combined.
- Add the nutmeg, sage, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Stir in the pasta water about ½ cup at a time until it's smooth and glossy. I usually end up adding 1 ½ – 2 cups but it's all personal preference. I still keep whatever pasta water I have remaining in case I need to add more if it dries out while it's sitting.
- Add the pasta noodles and combine.
