Recipe: Vegan, Dairy-Free Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Gluten-free Pasta

Don't Waste your Pumpkins - make this delicious, vegan creamy pasta sauce instead! 

What You Need:

If you didn't already know, our philosophy when it comes to recipe creation is the "kitchen sink" model. Which means, you don't need to have exactly the ingredients listed below to make something delicious. For example, we adapted this recipe from Cookie and Kate's pumpkin marinara, but swapped out for the more ingredients we had on hand. See our modifications noted below.

INGREDIENTS: (serves 3-4 people)

• 1 sugar pie pumpkin (we used a small pumpkin, but could double this recipe if you're using a large pumpkin!)
• 1 can (15 ounces) diced or crushed tomatoes (we used leftover marinara sauce and tomato-based vegetable stock concentrate from Matriark Foods)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (we used black truffle olive oil - yum!)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped and sauteed (we skipped)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed and sauteed
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped and sauteed
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½  teaspoon dried tarragon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Finely grated vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast, and chopped fresh parsley or basil, for garnish if desired! 
• 1 box of pasta - your choice! We used a gluten-free high-protein chickpea flour pasta.

HOW TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:

Starting with the pumpkin.

1. Prepare the instant pot! (you can also steam the pumpkin in your traditional cookware if you don't have an instant pot, but trust me, you will not regret investing in one). Add 1 and 1/2 cup water to the bottom of your instant pot, with the steamer basket. 
2. We used a small pumpkin, cut in half and de-seeded. Place each half of the pumpkin in the instant pot, and seal the lid.
3. Cook for 15-17 minutes on high pressure, with the valve in the sealing position. 

Next, preparing the rest of the sauce. 

1. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and half of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and pepper are very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, oregano, tarragon. While stirring, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
3. Add these ingredients, when cooled, along with the tomato sauce or paste into a blender.
4. When the pumpkin is finished steaming in the instant pot, the skin should peel off nicely. If not, you can scoop out the pumpkin flesh and add to the blender. 
5. Optional - you can add vegan butter for extra creaminess, or some non-dairy cream. You can also add more salt and pepper to taste.
6. Blend all of the ingredients together in a smooth puree, about 45 seconds. 

Add the pasta! 

Cook your pasta al dente, and make sure to save some pasta water to add the sauce to. Heat up the pasta and sauce, and voila! You're good to go.

Serve with vegan cheese on top, or fresh herbs.

Enjoy!!! No pumpkin goes to waste! 

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