This vegan roasted pumpkin pasta with garlic is a super simple seasonal recipe that's easy to prepare, healthy and absolutely delicious!
This roasted pumpkin pasta with garlic requires very little preparation and a handful of ingredients. It's super nutritious, full of flavour and texture. Roasted golden pumpkin chunks are combined with fried golden garlic and fresh arugula, stirred into a hot bowl of pasta and topped with toasted crunchy pine nuts.
What I also love about this dish is its lovely yellow orangey colour. A little bowl of sunshine to cheer you up on a grey wet autumn day, which we have so many of! Pumpkin is my happy food at this time of year:)
Roasted pumpkin pasta ingredients
In addition to the roasted pumpkin I used plenty of garlic, as well as a fair amount of arugula (also called rucola or rocket leaves). Arugula has a peppery nutty flavour, perfect with both the pumpkin as well as the garlic.
Serve the vegetables with your favourite pasta (either fusilli or penne or farfalle work well). I like to cook my pasta in salted water with a bay leaf for added flavour, but this is optional.
How to prepare the pumpkin
I recommend using culinary, sugar pumpkin (also called pie or sweet pumpkin) as it's got lots of flavour and is widely available at this time of the year. Sugar pumpkins are smaller than field pumpkins which work better as Halloween decorations.
There are many ways of preparing pumpkin depending on the dish and the amount of time you want to spend making it.
For this pumpkin pasta recipe I peeled, chopped and then roasted the pumpkin with some seasoning and a bit of oil (see Instructions below) This method really brings out the lovely nutty, sweetish flavour of the pumpkin, which tastes delicious with the garlic and pasta.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F/220 C/ gas mark 7. Cut the pumpkin into thick wedges, place each wedge on its side and cut the peel off slicing downwards. Chop the pumpkin into similar size pieces.
2. Place the pumpkin chunks in a large bowl, season and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil.
3. Stir thoroughly and spread on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the baking sheet.
4. Roast on the upper oven shelf for 30-40 minutes or until the pumpkin is golden brown and tender, turning twice.
4. 10 minutes before the pumpkin is ready boil the pasta. When both the pasta and pumpkin are ready to serve in a pan heat up 3 tablespoons of oil and briefly fry the garlic slices until golden stirring all the time (this will take seconds). Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
*Optional: Fry the arugula quickly (for about 20 seconds) in the oil used to fry the garlic in to get a deeper, more intense garlic flavour throughout the dish. (Alternatively combine the fresh arugula with the other ingredients before serving).
5. Place 2 spoonfuls of the roasted pumpkin in the pan. Mash with a fork and add some of the water from cooking the pasta to make a little sauce. Sprinkle the onion granules and stir.
6. Add the pasta, pumpkin, arugula and stir. Add the garlic slices, scatter the pine nuts, stir thoroughly, adjust the seasoning if needed and serve!
Top tips and FAQs
- Use sugar/culinary pumpkin, NOT carving pumpkin.
- You can peel and chop the pumpkin in advance and refrigerate in a plastic bag overnight.
- Roast the pumpkin on the upper oven shelf but take care not to let it burn - turn over twice. Do NOT overcrowd the baking sheet.
- Unused fresh pumpkin can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 4 days.
- Use pasta of your choice.
- Start boiling the pasta 10 minutes before your pumpkin comes out of the oven.
- Prepare the garlic and arugula (this takes seconds) once both the pasta and pumpkin are ready to serve.
- Take care not to brown the garlic too much - fry for a few seconds only stirring all the time.
- Best served immediately.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Serving suggestions
This pasta with pumpkin is delicious as it is but you could serve it with a scatter of parmesan cheese (make sure it's vegetarian) and freshly chopped parsley. You could also substitute finely chopped baby spinach for the arugula (or omit these ingredients altogether).
If you would like to add some spices into this dish a dash of nutmeg and/or paprika are good options.
You might also like
- Pasta with Chunky Roasted Butternut Squash
- Pasta Bake with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
- Roasted Asparagus Pesto Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Tomatoes
Check out also this collection of over 12 healthy vegetarian pasta meals.
Keep in touch!
If you make this easy pumpkin pasta I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Garlic
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
Ingredients
- 300 g uncooked fusilli pasta penne or farfalle will be fine too
- 650 g pumpkin peeled, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 100 g arugula
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp onion granules optional
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅓ cup water from cooking the pasta 6-8 tablespoons or more
- Lightly toasted pine nuts and grated parmesan for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F/ 220 C/ gas mark 7. Cut the pumpkin into thick wedges, place each on its side on a cutting board and slice the peel off downwards. Chop the pumpkin into similar size pieces and place in a large bowl. Season and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, then spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Roast on the upper oven shelf for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Turn twice.
- 10 minutes before your pumpkin is ready boil the pasta al dente with the bay leaf in salted water. Strain, reserving approximately 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.
- When both the pumpkin and pasta are ready in a frying pan heat up the remaining oil, add the garlic and fry over a medium heat for a few seconds until golden (don't let it brown too much as it will be bitter), stirring all the time. Lift the garlic out of the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl (do not rinse the pan). Set aside. *Optional: Fry the arugula quickly (for about 20 seconds) in the oil used to fry the garlic in to get a deeper, more intense garlic flavour throughout the dish. (Alternatively combine fresh arugula with the rest of the ingredients before serving).
- Add about 2 spoonfuls of the pumpkin into the pan (use the same pan plus the garlic oil in it). Mash with a fork, add some of the water from cooking the pasta, onion granules and stir. Add the pasta and roasted pumpkin, stir and adjust the seasoning if needed, scatter over the garlic, pine nuts and parmesan (if using) and serve.
Notes
- Use sugar/culinary pumpkin, NOT carving pumpkin.
- You can peel and chop the pumpkin in advance and refrigerate in a plastic bag overnight.
- Roast the pumpkin on the upper oven shelf but take care not to let it burn - turn over twice. Do NOT overcrowd the baking sheet.
- Unused fresh pumpkin can be refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 4 days.
- Use pasta of your choice.
- Start boiling the pasta 10 minutes before your pumpkin comes out of the oven.
- Prepare the garlic and arugula (this takes seconds) once both the pasta and pumpkin are ready to serve.
- Take care not to brown the garlic too much - fry for a few seconds only stirring all the time.
- Best served immediately.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
I love pasta with cauliflower or broccoli and see that I need to give pumpkin a try! Thanks for bringing pumpkin inspiration to Fiesta Friday! 🙂
Do give pumpkin a try, before the pumpkin season is over! Happy FF:)
I absolutely will 🙂
Pumpkin in pasta? Now why did I not think of this too 🙂 Love it, especially with the pine nuts!! Thanks for sharing this awesome dish with Fiesta Friday!!
Thank you and happy FF:)
Pairing pumpkin with arugula and toasted pine nuts is just brilliant, in my book. This is such a gorgeous dish: I can't wait to share it with my family! I'm also pinning to my Seasonal board for easy access. 🙂
Thank you Michelle, I am glad you liked the pine nuts, I thought of adding them at the last minute, I am glad I did:)
I love the toasted garlic to add to this dish, my favorite! Also, that's an excellent idea to put a bay leaf into the pasta while boiling, I have to try it!
Thank you Alison, I boil potatoes with a bay leaf too!
Delicious! I love pumpkin and with pasta it is so good! I usually blend it up into a sauce, I must share that recipe this year! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Thank you Kirsty, I love pumpkin in anything and can never get enough of it.
Such a fantastic recipe to share! I will add this to my recipes to try! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jhuls:)
This recipe looks so tasty and quick!
Thank you Cat:)
This pasta recipe looks so delicious, pinning away!!!
Thank you!