This creamy pumpkin pasta, made without heavy cream or cheese, is the perfect fall comfort meal. It's high in protein and packed with fiber, with a rich texture from pumpkin squash, tomatoes, paneer, and garlic.

Creamy Pumpkin pasta served in a white bowl garnished with chili flakes, parsley and fork, and decorative pumpkin on the side.

It's fall, and pumpkins are everywhere. I love making Indian pumpkin recipes at this time of year, whether it's an Indian pumpkin curry, or a Thai pumpkin soup.

Today, I am sharing a delicious, easy pumpkin pasta recipe made with just a few ingredients. When I first made this dish for my daughter, she loved it and said, "Mom, it tastes just like Instant pot mac and cheese-it's so creamy and cheesy!" But guess what? There's no cheese and no cream in this recipe.

I've used paneer (Indian cottage cheese) to make the sauce rich, creamy, and velvety. You can also use leftover air fryer roasted pumpkin or canned pumpkin puree to make the sauce. If you dont have pumpkin handy, you can also make the same recipe with butternut squash. Also, check out my Instant pot butternut squash pasta recipe.

This pasta sauce can be easily stored in the fridge for 4-5 days, making it perfect for meal prep, busy weeknight dinners, or kids' lunch boxes.

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Ingredients
How to Make Pumpkin Pasta With Paneer
Serving Suggestions
Storage Suggestions
Expert Tips
More Pasta Recipes
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta (with Indian Cottage Cheese)

Ingredients

Pasta: I used organic semolina penne pasta. But feel free to use your favorite pasta of your choice.
Vegetables: I used Kabocha squash pumpkin, tomatoes, and garlic. You can also use onions and red bell peppers. Dice them into small cubes so that they cook faster. You can also use cherry tomatoes instead of Roma tomatoes.
Paneer: Is added to boost protein content and make the sauce naturally creamy and rich without using cream or cheese. If you dont have paneer, you may also use tofu, or cottage cheese. You can also add soaked cashews or heavy cream.
Herbs & Spices: Italian seasoning (or oregano), red chili flakes, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and parsley are used.
Pumpkin Seeds: Optional - added for extra nutrition and a touch of creaminess.

How to Make Pumpkin Pasta With Paneer

Cook 1 cup of dried pasta al dente according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water (about ½ cup) for later use.

I cooked 1 cup of penne pasta with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt for 1 whistle in a stovetop pressure cooker. Then, I let it rest for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.

You can also use an Instant Pot to boil the pasta. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 4 minutes for al dente pasta. When the instant pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually.

Step to boil the pasta in a pressure cooker collage

Then, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan on medium flame and then add 3 garlic cloves along with 1 cup of thinly diced pumpkin, ½ cup diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (optional), and salt. Sauté for a minute.

Step to saute veggies like pumpkin, garlic and tomatoes collage.

Add ½ cup of water (or vegetable broth), cover, and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is soft and mushy.

Step to add water and cook covered the veggies till they turn mushy collage

Once it cools down, add it to the blender along with ¼ cup of paneer (or cottage cheese, or tofu), ½ cup of water (or coconut milk, dairy milk). Blend to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Step to blend the cooked veggies to smooth paste collage.

Heat the pan, add the pumpkin pasta sauce, ¼ cup of reserved pasta water (or as needed), seasonings like 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or oregano), ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for a minute.

TIP: Adding reserved pasta water helps loosen the thick sauce and binds the sauce and pasta together.

Then add 1.5 cups of cooked penne pasta, toss everything well, and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil leaves.

Step to add the pumpkin pasta sauce to the pan, add spices and add boiled pasta collage

Serve the pumpkin pasta hot.

Creamy pumpkin pasta served in a steel kadai, with a spoon lifting a portion of the pasta.

Serving Suggestions

This creamy pumpkin squash pasta can be eaten on its own or paired with roasted vegetables like air fryer mushrooms, air fryer broccoli. You can also pair it with salads like quinoa chickpea salad on the side.

Storage Suggestions

Refrigerator: You can store this pasta in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds until warm.
Freezer: Pumpkin pasta sauce freezes very well. Store it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or container. When you want to make pasta, thaw it and add it to the cooked pasta.

Pumpkin pasta served in a bowl with chili flakes, parsley, and decorative pumpkin on the side.

Expert Tips

If using store-bought paneer, soak it in hot water for 10 minutes.
You can prepare the pumpkin sauce a day in advance as a make-ahead option, and cook the pasta when ready to serve.
You can also add veggies like red bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots to the pasta.
Reserve some pasta water before draining. Its starch helps naturally thicken the sauce.

More Pasta Recipes

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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta (with Indian Cottage Cheese)

This creamy pumpkin pasta, made without cream or cheese, is the perfect fall comfort meal. It's high in protein and packed with fiber, with a rich texture from pumpkin, tomatoes, paneer, and garlic.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Indian

Keyword: creamy pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pasta with no cheese no cream, pumpkin pasta with paneer

Diet: Vegetarian

Method: Stovetop

Servings:

Calories: 735kcal

Author: Bhavana Patil

Recipe Video

Ingredients

To Cook Pasta in Pressure Cooker

1 cup penne pasta
1 cup water (or as needed)
salt to taste

For the Sauce

1 teaspoon oil
3 garlic cloves
¾-1 cup pumpkin diced thinly
1 small tomato (about ½ cup), diced
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds optional
¼ cup paneer (or tofu, cottage cheese)
1 cup water (divided)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
salt, pepper to taste
¼ cup reserved pasta water
2 tablespoons parsley (or basil)

Instructions

Cook 1 cup of dried pasta al dente according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water (about ½ cup) for later use.
I cooked 1 cup of penne pasta with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt for 1 whistle in a stovetop pressure cooker. Then, I let it rest for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure.
You can also use an Instant Pot to boil the pasta. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 4 minutes for al dente pasta. When the instant pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually.
Then, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan on medium flame and then add 3 garlic cloves along with 1 cup of thinly diced pumpkin, ½ cup diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, and salt. Sauté for a minute.
Add ½ cup of water (or vegetable broth), cover, and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is soft and mushy.
Once it cools down, add it to the blender along with ¼ cup of paneer (or cottage cheese, or tofu), ½ cup of water (or coconut milk, dairy milk). Blend to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Heat the pan, add the pumpkin pasta sauce, ¼ cup of reserved pasta water (or as needed), seasonings like 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or oregano), ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for a minute.
Then add 1.5 cups of cooked penne pasta, toss everything well, and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil leaves. Serve the pumpkin pasta hot.