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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2

Equipment

  • (immersion) blender
  • oven dish

Ingredients
  

  • 3 1/2 cups cubed pumpkin raw, around 2-3 inch
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 1/2 cups rigatoni pasta
  • 1 1/3 cups ground beef
  • 3/4 cups cream cheese
  • 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese flakes

Pantry Items

  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp dried sage
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 cube beef stock (dissolve in 1 cup hot water)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ground salt & black pepper to taste
Looking for a Halloween dinner with pumpkin, or just want to serve a comfy fall dinner dish? This creamy pasta recipe with oven-roasted pumpkin, and ground beef is an absolute crowd pleaser.

Instructions
 

How to Make Roasted Pumpkin & Ground Beef Pasta

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (or 200°C).
  • In the meantime, toss the pumpkin cubes in an oven dish, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil, cayenne pepper, and salt & pepper to taste. Roast the pumpkin for 30 minutes in the oven once it is ready.
  • Prepare the rest of the ingredients by cutting the onion, and finely dicing the garlic. If needed, thinly slice or grate the Parmesan cheese. Bring a pot with water to a boil for your pasta, or, if you have an electric kettle, turn it on so you have hot water at the ready once needed.
  • When there are around 10 minutes left on the pumpkin in the oven, heat a skillet with olive oil over high heat, then reduce it back to medium, and cook the onions until slightly tender.
  • Add the ground beef to the pan and cook it while slightly breaking up the clumps of meat. Season the ground beef with some salt & pepper, thyme, sage, and add the garlic. Stir everything together and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Season the water for your pasta with a generous amount of salt, add the pasta, and cook according to the instructions on the packaging. Drain when cooked al-dente.
  • Add the cream cheese to the ground beef, stir it in, then turn the heat down to low.
  • Once the roasted pumpkin is done, set aside half of the pumpkin cubes, and add the other half, along with the beef stock to a high blender cup. Make sure to push the immersion blender all the way to the bottom first, then turn it on, and blend everything to create a semi-smooth sauce.
  • Add the pumpkin sauce to the pan with the ground beef, and stir. Add in half of the Parmesan cheese and still until it melts.
  • Lastly, add the remaining pumpkin cubes and the cooked pasta. Stir everything together, then transfer to plates. Finish the pasta off with some extra Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!