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This pumpkin pasta actually tastes like pumpkin and resembles something you could get at a really great restaurant. The sauce is simple and uses a whole can of pumpkin along with some onion, chili crisp, cream, and butter. Then the piece that takes this over the top is the crispy pork topping, which is inspired by frico (cheese crisps) and made by browning ground pork then topping with grated Manechoge and sizzling until it’s all deeply browned and crisp. Heaven!
I know there are many people who look forward to fall for the cozy flavors and pumpkin recipes. I am not one of those people. I find the pumpkin craze to be a bit overboard. Like when did everyone get obsessed with putting pumpkin in literally everything? If you click around, you’ll find I generally reserve pumpkin for my homemade pumpkin pie or these pillowy pumpkin whoopie pies.
So the fact I’m sharing a pumpkin pasta means I think it’s worth your time and effort. And this is not a pumpkin pasta for the sake of being a pumpkin pasta. No, this pasta is a cozy fall dish infused with spice, warmth, and earthy squashi-ness (pumpkin).
Making a Pumpkin Pasta That Actually Tastes Like Pumpkin
I tested this recipe five times, and the thing I kept coming back to was I wanted to be able to taste the pumpkin. Because why else are we using it? Pumpkin has such a mild flavor that it can be a bit of a dance trying to balance the supporting flavors. I found butter, white pepper, and a dash of red wine vinegar are all flavors that enhance pumpkin instead of competing with it.
The chili crisp is the wild card here, but it adds so much flavor in one fell swoop. It’s added to the sauce and the pork topping, so it can’t be skipped.
You’ll Need A Large Stainless Steel Skillet
For the best results, you’ll need to use a large stainless steel skillet—12-inch is ideal. This gives you enough surface area to cook the ground pork in a thin layer so it gets browned and crisp, not steamed.
Let’s Walk Through the Process
- Cook the onions and garlic down in some butter until softened.
- Add half of the chili crisp and the white pepper and cook briefly.
- Transfer half of the onion mixture to a blender for the sauce; reserve the other half for the pork topping.
- To the skillet (with the reserved onion mixture) add the ground pork and cook until no longer pink. Stir in some chili crisp then sprinkle with grated cheese and cook WITHOUT MOVING (!) until the pork is super browned and crispy on the bottom. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cook and crisp up.
- To finish the sauce, add a can of pumpkin, the remaining butter, some cream, red wine vinegar, and some pasta cooking water to the blender with the cooked onions. Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce and add additional pasta cooking water until the pasta is saucy and glossy.
- Use a really firm, metal spatula to scrape up large shards of the crispy pork
Pasta Cooking Water Tip
How much pasta water you need will largely depend on what kind of pot you’re using. I like to use a Dutch oven, which retains heat and thus cooks out more moisture than a stainless steel pot will. If you’re using a stainless steel pot you may need less pasta water.
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Crispy Pork Topping
Description
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Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced (1½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp, divided
- scant ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 12 ounces ground pork
- 1½ ounces Manchego cheese
- 1 pound large tubular pasta, such as Mezze Maniche Frankies 457
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
- ⅓ cup (85 g) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- basil optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium heat until melted. Add 1 diced onion and 4 cloves minced garlic, season with ½ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 6–8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili crisp and scant ½ teaspoon white pepper, then remove from heat.
- Transfer half of mixture to a blender and reserve other half in skillet. To skillet, add 12 ounces ground pork and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 4–5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon chili crisp, then grate 1½ ounces Manchego over top using a microplane (½ cup). Cook, without moving, until cheese melts, pork gets really brown and crisp on bottom, 6–8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and let pork frico cool.
- Season boiling water heavily with kosher salt; add 1 pound pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and add pasta back to pot.
- While pasta cooks, add 1 can pumpkin, ⅓ cup cream, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup pasta cooking water to onions in blender and blend until smooth. Give it a taste and add more chili crisp if desired.
- Pour blended sauce over pasta and toss to coat; add pasta cooking water, by ¼ cup, until sauce is loose and glossy (I use ¾ cup total*). Season to taste with salt (I usually add about ½ teaspoon).
- Divide pasta between bowls. Using a firm metal spatula, scrap up large shards of crispy pork frico and serve over top pasta. Garnish with basil, if desired, and serve.
