Sage Pumpkin Pasta Bake with Kale and Buttered Pecans
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This cheesy Sage Pumpkin Pasta Bake is the ultimate grown-up, autumn casserole recipe. It's dotted with kale, topped with butter pecans, and smothered in an easy to make and healthy creamy pumpkin sauce.
I've made us pastaaaaa! Gather 'round my friends, today I'm doing something I rarely ever do here on TEM. Today, I'm sharing a great big, giant pot of cheesy pasta with you. Happy Friday!
Except that *rarely* isn't exactly true since I shared another pasta recipe with you a few days ago. What's going on? Full on autumn mode, that's what.
I may have mentioned (whined and complained) that autumn is my least favorite season. Sure, the leaves are brightly colored, but they're dying. DYING. It's sad. The rain, chilly air, and short days are so not my thing.
BUT ā¦ autumn does mean that I get to turn on my oven and stand in front of it soaking up the heat and dreaming of Mexico. Tell me you do that, too.
So today let's dig into a pot hot, bubbly, cheesy, pumpkin pasta and try our best to embrace this whole creeping towards winter thing. You with me?
See this Pumpkin Pasta Bake thing-y going on here? This was supposed to be lasagna. Not even joking.
This is what happens when you go to the store and buy everything you need for lasagna except you forget the lasagna noodles and have to run back five minutes before they close and find out they don't have lasagna noodles. Phew, run on sentence!
Seriously, what's up with not having lasagna noodles?! There was every shape of pasta I've heard of, tons I have never seen and don't know how to pronounce and made from everything from wheat to kamut to edamame and red beans. All that, but no lasagna noodles.
My lazy self won over and I decided not to walk the 15 minutes to another grocery store and instead turn my pumpkin lasagna dreams into a cheesy pumpkin pasta bake.
Your pumpkin pasta game plan:
There are a few steps to getting the pasta ready to be baked in the pot, but each step is super easy.
1 ā Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook then drain the pasta. Easy!
2 ā Toast the pecans in a little butter in a frying pan. Easy!
3 ā Saute the onion, garlic, and kale. Easy!
4 ā Mix the cottage cheese with the pumpkin and a few spices to make the healthy cheese sauce. Easy!
Then all you have to do is mix everything together and pop it in your oven. By the time your pot of pumpkin pasta is ready to come out of the oven, you'll have the dishes washed and be halfway through that glass of wine. š
Healthy Vegetarian Pasta Recipes:
- Warm Caprese Pesto Pasta
- One Pot Vegan Pasta with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- Fresh Summer Spaghetti
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
- Date Night Beet and Goat Cheese Wonton Ravioli
- Easy Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna with Kale Olive Pesto
Pumpkin Pasta Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 17 ounces fusilli pasta (gluten-free, if needed)
- 2 teaspoons salted butter
- Ā½ cup pecans (coarsely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups torn kale
- 14 ounce canned pumpkin
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Ā½ teaspoon each: black pepper and cayenne
- 8 ounces mozzarella (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the fusilli in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.17 ounces fusilli pasta
- While the pasta is cooking prepare the rest of the meal. Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Toast until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes.2 teaspoons salted butter, Ā½ cup pecans
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and kale and cook until the kale is wilted, about 2 minutes.1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 cups torn kale
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the pumpkin, cottage cheese, sage, black pepper, cayenne, and salt.14 ounce canned pumpkin, 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, Ā½ teaspoon each: black pepper and cayenne, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Spread a scoop of the pumpkin into the bottom of a casserole dish or ovenproof pot. Layer with ā of the pasta, ā of the pumpkin, ā of the kale, and ā of the mozzarella. Repeat 2 more times. Top the pasta with the buttered pecans and bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until the pasta is hot and bubbling.8 ounces mozzarella
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
