This time of the year I try to come up with creative ways to use pumpkin in recipes! And pasta is something I love to incorporate pumpkin in. The flavor of this pasta is rich, creamy and satisfying. The pumpkin flavor is subtle, but the dish is full of fall aromas. This pasta recipe is easy to make, quick to prep and is a perfect complete dish to feed your family.
For Littles
This is a favorite of my 16-month-old. And I love feeding it to her because she is getting fiber from the pumpkin, protein from the ground chicken and milk, and a good carb from the pasta. You can feed this dish to your little one 12 months+! I use the whole milk in the recipe, and it is not recommended to give your baby cow’s milk until they are 12 months or older.
This is how I serve it to my toddler:
How to
Cook your pasta. Sauté the onions, add the chicken, then garlic and spices.
Add the pumpkin, Parmesan, milk and broth. Let it thicken, then add your pasta and pasta water.
Serve warm!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Ground Chicken
Course: Dinner, Fall, Family Meal Ideas, Healthy, Main Dishes, Recipes6
servings10
minutes20
minutesIngredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion chopped
1/2 lb ground chicken
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup pumpkin puree * (See notes)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb spaghetti pasta
1/4 cup pasta water
Directions
- Heat up a large skillet with the olive oil. At the same time, get some salted water boiling in a medium sized pot to start cooking your pasta. ** (See notes). Cook your pasta while you make your sauce! Make sure you save 1/4 cup pasta water and put to the side to add to the sauce later.
- In your skillet with the olive oil, throw in your onion and sauté for 4 minutes until translucent.
- Add your ground chicken, breaking up the chicken into small pieces as it cooks.
- Cook the chicken until there is no more pink, then throw in the garlic, fresh thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir for a minute until fragrant!
- Add your pumpkin, Parmesan cheese, milk and broth. Stir for a minute or two until it slightly thickens.
- Add in your pasta and pasta water. Stir until combined! If the sauce seems thick, you can add more pasta water for your desired consistency.
- Top with Parmesan cheese and parley if you would like and serve warm! You can store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!:)
Notes
- * If you would like the pasta to have a bit more pumpkin flavor, feel free to add 1/4 cup more pumpkin puree. If you do this, make sure you keep more pasta water on hand to add in case the sauce gets too thick.
- ** When cooking pasta, I like to salt the water really well so the noodles are nice and seasoned. I like to add a few tablespoons of salt per lb. of pasta. For this recipe, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
