Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan Garlic Cream Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Pasta shells, cubes of roasted pumpkin, and a creamy garlic-and-thyme infused Parmesan sauce — this is the dish I reach for the minute winter squash shows up at the farmers market. Buy it precut and you’re maybe five minutes from the oven.
Before you start
Roasting is what makes this pasta so good — it’s not just softening the squash, it’s concentrating the sugars until the edges color.
- Buy precut squash if you can find it. Skip peeling a hard-shelled kabocha or butternut and you’re in the oven in five minutes flat.
- The garlic and thyme steep into the cream, not just float on top. Give the sauce a time to simmer over low heat before it hits the pasta — that’s what turns “cream with garlic in it” into one that’s layered with flavor.
- If you’re doubling the recipe, double the sauce too. A full pound of pasta soaks up more than this batch of cream can cover, and you’ll end up with a dry pan instead of a saucy one.
Three ingredients, explained
- Pasta shells (or another short, cupped shape). The ridges and hollow of a shell pasta like conchiglie are designed to catch the sauce and hold onto little pieces of roasted squash — a long noodle like spaghetti just lets everything slide off. Cavatappi or orecchiette work the same way if shells aren’t in your pantry.
- Heavy cream, not half-and-half or milk. The extra fat in cream is what makes this sauce hold together instead of breaking or thinning out — cream has enough of it to reduce and cling to the pasta. Milk is too watery without a thickener, and same for half and half.
- Kale, stemmed and torn into bite-size pieces. I toss it in at the very end, off the heat, just long enough to wilt. You can use spinach or chopped chard leaves instead.
Which squash to use (and the one to skip)
Skip the jack-o’-lantern pumpkins at the grocery store — those are technically sugar pumpkins, bred for carving and looks, and they’ll be stringy and waterlogged in a sauce like this one. Reach for a true winter squash instead:
- Butternut squash is the easiest winter squash to find, and it roasts into the same sweet, dense texture this recipe is built around. If you’re near a farmers market, Blue Hubbard is worth grabbing too — same dense flesh, just less common on grocery shelves.
- Kabocha is what I reach for once fall actually arrives — a Japanese winter squash with deep-orange flesh that becomes dense and velvety after roasting, not mushy. Grocery stores increasingly carry it pre-cut and frozen right alongside butternut, which turns this into a five-minute prep instead of a fight with a vegetable peeler.
Cutting up a whole squash
If you do have a fresh whole squash, here’s how to get it prepped for cooking, which involves peeling and cubing butternut the same way I do for mashed butternut squash.
Trim the stem and bottom ends, then cut the squash where the round base meets the long neck. Two manageable pieces instead of one awkward whole squash — everything after this gets easier. 
Halve each piece and scrape out the seeds and strings with a spoon. Then run a vegetable peeler over the skin in long strokes — butternut skin is thin enough to peel like a carrot, no knife required. Slice into 1-inch planks, turn each one crosswise, and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks. Keep the pieces roughly the same size — that’s what keeps them roasting evenly.
The step most people skip: steeping the cream
Most creamy sauces are made quickly — garlic hits hot oil for thirty seconds, cream gets dumped in, done. That’s how you end up with a sauce that tastes like cream with garlic adjacent to it. This one works differently, and I think it’s worth the extra twenty minutes:
- Drop garlic cloves and thyme sprigs into the cream and simmer about 20 minutes, until the garlic softens and releases its flavor into the cream. You’ll know it’s ready when the cloves squish easily and the cream’s has a faint golden color.
- Pull out the thyme sprigs before the pasta goes in. They’ve done their job scenting the cream, (and nobody wants to bite into a woody stem).
- Sauce too thin? Give it another minute or two at a gentle simmer. No cornstarch needed.
Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan Garlic Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 g) pumpkin, approximately half of 1 medium kabocha (or butternut squash), or 4-5 cups pre-cut squash
- ¼ cup (40 g) finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups (375 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 sprigs thyme, plus 1 teaspoon chopped
- ¾ cup (75 g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces (225 g) dried pasta shells, or other type of short pasta
- 1½ cups (100 g) baby kale or spinach leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- If using a whole squash, peel it, remove the seeds and slice into 1-inch chunks.
- Combine the squash and ¼ cup finely chopped onion on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 10 or 12 grinds of black pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and stir the squash around with a spatula. Roast 15 minutes more, or until the squash is tender and lightly browned.
- Make the sauce: Pour 1½ cups heavy whipping cream into a saucepan. Drop in 4 whole garlic cloves and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer — lower the heat and watch that it doesn't boil over. Simmer 20 minutes, until the cream is slightly reduced and the garlic is soft. Remove from the heat and steep 10 minutes, then remove the garlic and thyme. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl with the butter and keep warm.
- Bring a 6 quart pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to the bowl with the sauce.
- Add the squash and 1½ cups baby kale or spinach leaves to the bowl and gently stir everything together until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve with the remaining cheese and chopped thyme sprinkled over the top.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Add a few tablespoons cream and/or vegetable broth before reheating.
- Tip: Look in your grocery store for 1-pound bags of cut-up frozen kabocha or butternut squash to make this recipe even quicker to make.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
Leave a comment and star rating
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Really easy and delicious!
Are you using butternut squash & calling it pumpkin (all types of squash taste different!)? I love cooking with pumpkin & this is NOT pumpkin…….
Hi Sara. As I describe in the post, my first choice of squash to use in this recipe is a type of Japanese pumpkin called kabocha squash. Butternut squash is a lot easier to find in markets so I recommend trying it to make the pasta. Also, some canned pumpkin is actually made with butternut squash. If you love pumpkin you should try it in this pasta!
I don’t use store bought canned pumpkin, only fresh or my own pumpkin is made due to taste & health. I am totally in control of what I eat instead of the nasty “processed” garbage that’s out there with all unnecessary chemicals, dyes, & preservatives.
Can I cook the squash and blend it then add to the cream? Rather than leaving it cubed?
Hi Sara – If you would like a smoother sauce, I suggest cooking half the amount of squash, then go ahead and puree and then mix with the cream. You can adjust the amount of cream if it’s too thick.
Hello! I am so glad I came across this recipe, looking forward to trying it! I was wondering if frozen squash would work?
Hi Danielle – yes, you can use frozen squash. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks! Does that adjust the cooking time or cooking process?
No, the roasting process and time should be about the same.
Amazing! So delicious. Used butternut squash and spinach. I also changed measurements on the sauce to our preference.
Amazing recipe!! ive never made pumpkin before this, so i absolutely messed up some parts. i put way too much pumkin and too little cream and pasta, so its very thick and VERY filling.. could not eat alot of it. tasted absolutely wonderful though!
Delicious! I also learned that kabocha is now my new favorite squash. My 90 year old father, a meat and potatoes guy, agrees😁.
That’s fantastic!! I know once I discovered kabocha it was life changing. So glad your dad enjoyed it too!
For those who don’t like waste, I recommend leaving the skin on. After it has cooked that long, it basically smushes like the rest of the squash. Plus it has extra nutrients 🙂
Does this freeze well? I made it tonight and it was delicious; so creamy! But there’s far too much for me, it would take me like a week to eat it all!
Yes, you can freeze it. The sauce might thicken a bit – just add a few tablespoons water or broth when you reheat.
Have you ever tried this with a protein? Do you think chicken or bacon world work well with this? Thanks so much for sharing what sounds like a super yummy recipe!
Hi Laurel – A good vegetarian protein option would be chickpeas. A simple grilled chicken breast, quickly cooked garlic shrimp or bacon would be great too!
Accidentally mixed this with a full pound of pasta and it was way too dry. Even after adding broth to the sauce before mixing with the pasta
I would recommend doubling the recipe for a pound of pasta – the sauce is perfect for 8 ounces (1/2 pound)
This pasta was the bomb. My wife loved it. This recipe is a definite keeper.
I use sugar pumpkins to make homemade pumpkin pie. I disagree that they’re just for decorations. My pies are a family favorite and I am often asked for the recipes I use.
Mary – You must be a talented baker – your family is lucky to have you! I’ve never had luck with the sugar pumpkins. How do you prepare your filling?
Do you think you could substitute almond milk or cashew cream for the whipping cream? Looks delish, can’t wait to make it
Hi Charity – I haven’t tried this recipe with non-dairy options, but if I were to substitute with one of those I’d go with the cashew cream because almond milk will be too watery. If your cream is very thick (sometimes cashew cream can be), thin it out with a tablespoon or so of vegetable stock so it’s the consistency of thick cream. Let me know how it goes!
This was soooo good! I’m on my own tonight but can’t wait to make it for the whole family!
So glad you liked it! 😉
yummm!!!!!!