Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Bake, which is cheesy and delicious! This easy-to-make pasta casserole is a great vegan weeknight dinner with wholesome ingredients. The recipe is meat-free, vegetarian, dairy-free, plant-based, oil-free, and can be made gluten-free.
Comforting Pumpkin Pasta Bake
It’s officially Fall, and therefore I love to try out new pumpkin recipes! And this is one of them which actually got me really excited. Not only is this pumpkin pasta bake easy to make, but it’s also healthy, and contains only a few simple ingredients.
I love this healthy pasta casserole because it is:
- A delicious vegan weeknight dinner
- Creamy, flavorful, and cheesy
- Easy to make with simple wholesome ingredients
Homemade Or Canned Pumpkin Purée
I made my own pumpkin purée. All you need is one medium-sized pumpkin, an oven, and a blender or food processor.
- Cut the pumpkin into slices (you can leave the skin on) and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- You can brush the pumpkin with some oil, but it also works without oil.
- Cook in the oven at 400 °F (204 °C) until the pumpkin is soft when you pierce it with a fork (it takes about 45 minutes).
- Once it’s soft, add the pumpkin flesh to a blender or food processor and blend at high speed.
- Depending on the starch content of the pumpkin, you might need to add water until the purée is creamy.
How To Make A Pumpkin Pasta Bake?
This pumpkin pasta bake is super easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of effort. You can make your own homemade pumpkin purée (like I did) or use canned pumpkin purée. Both work well.
- Boil the pasta until it’s al dente (check the pasta packaging for orientation, but cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less). Don’t throw away the pasta water, but reserve about 1/2 cup.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion, parsley, and garlic.
- Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat and add the diced onion + minced garlic.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the spices, pumpkin purée, and reserved pasta water. Stir to combine.
- Add plant-based milk + parsley and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Stir in the drained pasta.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/herbs to taste if needed. You can add more plant-based milk if you want the pasta bake to be creamier.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased baking pan (6×9 or 8×8), and spread it evenly.
- Add vegan cheese on top (I used my easy vegan cheese sauce).
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy immediately. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Add Greens Of Choice
I actually wanted to make a pumpkin pasta bake with spinach or kale, however, we only had parsley and arugula in the refrigerator. I decided to pick parsley. If you choose spinach or kale over the parsley, I would suggest adding about 1-2 cups.
Pumpkin Pasta Bake With Simple Ingredients
As mentioned before, this pasta bake contains only simple ingredients, which are as follows:
- Onion
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Pumpkin purée
- Plant-based milk
- Different spices
- Vegan cheese
- Fresh herbs to garnish
- Pasta of choice (can be gluten-free, of course)
Find the exact measurements below in the recipe card!
Health Benefits Of Pumpkin
As you know, I love making recipes with healthy ingredients, and pumpkin is very nutritious! It’s rich in vitamins and minerals, but at the same time low in calories. I found a great article with 3 interesting facts about pumpkin! I am going to share these facts with you.
- The potassium contained within pumpkins can have a positive effect on blood pressure.
- The antioxidants in pumpkin could help prevent degenerative damage to the eyes.
- Pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin can be used as a replacement for butter or oil in baking recipes.
To learn more about the health benefits of pumpkin, visit this site.
Variation
The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily vary it. It tastes best when it’s still bubbly and hot, right out of the oven, however, you can skip the baking part and enjoy the pasta as is (yep, no baking)! It will taste similar to vegan Pumpkin Mac And Cheese or Pumpkin Alfredo!
This Pumpkin Pasta Bake Is:
- Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free)
- Can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free pasta
- Hearty
- Creamy
- Satisfying
- Flavorful
- Comforting
- Cheesy
- A great weeknight dinner
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
Should you give this creamy pumpkin casserole a try, please leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! 🙂
If you like casseroles, definitely also check out the following healthy vegan recipes:
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- Cheesy Rice & Bean Casserole
- Easy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Cheesy Pasta Bake
- Creamy Potato Bake
- Vegan Moussaka
Pumpkin Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 g) pasta (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped (see notes)
- 1 pound (450 g) pumpkin puree (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) reserved pasta water
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) plant-based milk
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- Black pepper to taste
- 7 oz (200 g) vegan cheese of choice
- Fresh herbs to garnish
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Boil the pasta until it's al dente (check the pasta packaging for orientation but cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less). Don't drain all the pasta water but reserve about 1/2 cup.
- Meanwhile, chop the onion, parsley, and garlic. Preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat and add the diced onion + minced garlic.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the spices, pumpkin puree, and reserved pasta water. Stir to combine.
- Add plant-based milk + parsley and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Stir in the drained pasta.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt/pepper/herbs to taste if needed. You can add more plant-based milk if you want the pasta bake to be creamier.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased baking pan (6×9 or 8×8), and spread it evenly.
- Add vegan cheese on top (I used my easy vegan cheese sauce).
- Bake at 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy immediately. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can use any greens of choice. If you choose spinach or kale over the parsley, I would suggest adding about 1-2 cups.
- I made my own pumpkin puree. Check the blog post above to read how I made it.
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Much better without vegan cheese, though. Let’s face it, vegan cheese tastes like crap.
It depends on which vegan cheese you use. There are so many ones.
This is a fantastic blog.