Think of cheesy baked pumpkin pasta with kale as fall mac and cheese, the grown-up version. You stir a can of pumpkin into a quick sauce with milk, garlic, sage and a frankly rude amount of Gruyère, toss in rigatoni and chopped kale, more cheese and buttery breadcrumbs on top, then 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Under an hour start to finish, feeds six, and it reheats like a dream.
If you’ve got more cans in the pantry, our list of easy pumpkin recipes has 16 other ways to use them.
This dish is having a little moment, by the way. “Cheesy baked pumpkin pasta with kale” went to breakout status in Google searches this fall, right next to butternut squash pasta, so I guess we all want the same dinner. Most recipes for it are a few years old and only do it one way. So below is the stuff people actually ask me. Canned pumpkin or butternut? Why does mine dry out? Can I make it the night before? It’s also what I’m cooking for National Pasta Day, October 17.
Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta Recipe
Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni or penne
- 1 bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale about 8 oz, stems removed, chopped
- 8 oz Italian sausage optional, casings removed
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 fresh sage leaves finely chopped, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling; or 1 3/4 cups roasted butternut squash puree
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or more milk
- 1/2 cup Parmesan finely grated
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more for pasta water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups Gruyère or fontina shredded, about 6 oz, divided
- 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 4 sage leaves whole, for the top
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Add the kale for the last 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- If using sausage, brown it in a large skillet, breaking it up, then move it to a plate.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallot 3 minutes, add the garlic and chopped sage and cook 1 minute more.
- Whisk in the pumpkin, milk, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the Parmesan and 1 cup of the Gruyère until smooth. Thin with pasta water if it feels thick; it should be looser than you think.
- Toss the pasta, kale and sausage with the sauce and pour into the dish. Top with the remaining Gruyère and the mozzarella.
- Mix the panko with the melted butter, scatter over the top and press in the whole sage leaves.
- Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and golden. Broil 1 to 2 minutes for a deeper crust. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Canned Pumpkin or Butternut Squash?
Either one. They just taste a bit different:
| Canned pumpkin | Roasted butternut squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Flavor | Earthy, mild, a little savory | Sweeter, nuttier, more caramelized |
| Texture | Thick and very smooth | Silky after blending, a bit looser |
| Effort | Open the can | Roast about 40 minutes, then blend |
| Amount | One 15 oz can | About 1 3/4 cups puree (from a 2 lb squash) |
Check the can says 100% pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling has sugar and spice already in it and your pasta ends up tasting like Thanksgiving dessert (been there). For butternut, cut it in half, scoop the seeds, roast cut side down at 400°F till soft, scoop it out, blend. Our roasted butternut squash soup uses that same no-peel trick, so make a double batch and you’ve got two dinners sorted.
The Secret to Creamy, Not Dry, Pasta Bake
Dry and stiff out of the oven. That’s the big complaint with baked pasta. Two fixes.
Undercook the noodles. Pull them 2 minutes before the box says. They keep cooking in the oven and drink up sauce, so if they’re soft going in you end up with mush that’s also somehow dry.
Then make the sauce looser than feels right. In the skillet it should look like soup you could pour, not a thick puree. The pasta soaks up a lot in there. When in doubt, another splash of pasta water. The starch helps it cling too.
Which Cheese Works Best
Gruyère’s my favorite. Nutty, melts smooth, and it just goes with pumpkin. Fontina’s milder, melts even better and is usually cheaper. I always throw some low-moisture mozzarella on top for the stretchy pull, and the Parmesan in the sauce brings the salt. Grate it yourself if you can be bothered, the bagged stuff has anti-caking starch and the sauce can turn a little grainy.
Kale Tips
Lacinato kale (Tuscan, dinosaur, same thing) is my pick, it’s tender and holds its shape. Curly’s fine, chop it smaller. Rip the leaves off the stems, chop, and drop it in the pasta pot for the last minute. Softens just enough and that’s one less pan to wash. Spinach works too but stir it into the hot sauce instead. It wilts in like two seconds.
Ways to Change It Up
- Italian sausage, browned, mild or spicy. Turns it into a full one-dish dinner. Italian sausage pasta searches have been climbing all fall and this is a great place for it.
- Bacon, four slices cooked crisp and crumbled in.
- Meatless but filling? A can of white beans or chickpeas, drained.
- Brown the butter for the breadcrumbs first. Even nuttier crunch.
- Little blobs of goat cheese on top before baking, tangy and creamy.
It’s rich, so I serve it with a crisp, kinda sharp salad. Anything from our fall salad recipes works, the ones with apples and a vinegary dressing especially. Got half a can of pumpkin left? Use it in our pumpkin soup or pumpkin muffins.
Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing
Make ahead: put the whole thing together minus the breadcrumbs, cover it tight, fridge for up to 24 hours. Breadcrumbs on right before baking, then 30 to 35 minutes since it’s going in cold. If it looks dry, a splash of milk over the top first.
Leftovers keep covered in the fridge 3 to 4 days, which lines up with the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart for cooked leftovers. Microwave a portion with a spoon of milk, or the whole dish under foil at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
Freezing works baked or unbaked, up to 3 months, wrapped well. Thaw overnight in the fridge first. The kale goes softer after freezing. Still tastes great.
FAQ
Can I use fresh pumpkin?
Yes, but a sugar or pie pumpkin, not the big carving kind, those are watery and stringy. Roast till soft, blend smooth, you need about 1 3/4 cups.
What pasta shape is best?
Short shapes with ridges or holes. Rigatoni, penne, cavatappi, shells. They grab the sauce. Spaghetti in a bake, not so much.
Does pumpkin pasta taste sweet?
Nope. With garlic, sage, Parmesan and Gruyère it’s savory and earthy and very cheesy. Pumpkin on its own is barely sweet.
Can I make it without baking?
Totally. Toss it all together on the stove for a creamy stovetop version, toasted breadcrumbs on top if you miss the crunch.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Gluten-free pasta (cook it 3 minutes under the box time, it goes soft faster) and gluten-free panko.
Last tip: let it sit 5 whole minutes after it comes out. I know. It smells incredible. But the sauce thickens as it cools a touch and you get nice creamy scoops instead of a cheese flood across the plate.
