Fair warning: this pumpkin alfredo with roasted root vegetables isn’t a low calorie recipe, but it is great for sharing and delicious on a fall evening when you’re just in the mood for some caramelized roasted veggies and creamy fettuccine. If you’ve got your own method for making the sauce a little lighter, feel free to use those substitutes. Using a lighter milk (maybe whole or 2%) is one way. Just avoid skim since it won’t work well in the sauce.
You can also totally use this as side dish paired with anything you like: chicken, pork chops, or just even more veggies! Nom nom nom.
If you’re in the mood for more pumpkin recipes, I’ve got a pretty substantial archive going here. Or if you just want something fall-inspired, you’ll find more here, like sweet potato pasta, pecan pie bars, and apple bacon brioche stuffing. Man, I’m in the mood to start planning Thanksgiving dinner!
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Ingredients
- 8 oz fettuccine or linguine pasta
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 cups half and half or heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups root vegetables of your choice (carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, squash, beets, etc.)
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut all the vegetables into 1 1/2-inch pieces, as evenly as possible to keep cooking consistent. I used small carrots, so they were a little smaller than usual.
- Pile the cut veggies onto a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once coated, spread them in a single layer. Roast the vegetables until golden brown, turning once or twice during cooking, about 45 minutes. Some veggies cook faster (like squash) so check them often to make sure they aren't getting too dark.
- When there is about 20 minutes left in cooking the veggies, start preparing the pasta and sauce.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy water in case you'd like to thin the sauce later.
- Heat the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the pumpkin puree and half and half or cream (you can use milk to shave off some calories, just know the sauce will be slightly thinner. I don't recommend skim milk). Simmer until slightly thickened, then add the cheese and stir.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce and thin as needed using the reserved starchy pasta water. Top with additional Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Top with roasted vegetables (and some toasted pepitas, if you like) and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, 
Catherine Clark is a Chicago native sharing noteworthy things she sees and attempts to make in the world. She's a geek, cat lady, designer and editor by day, and noob chef by night.
