Pinch of Yum

Pumpkin Rigatoni with Rosemary Walnut Crispies

September 30, 2019

This recipe is sponsored by California Walnuts

Good news! There is a bowl of silky, creamy, savory pumpkin-sauce-bathed rigatoni sprinkled with rosemary walnut crispies that has your name on it for dinner tonight, and for lunch the next day, and for lots of days after that.

This pumpkin pasta is especially here for you if you enjoy:

  • Fall flavors
  • Warm, toasty things
  • Rosemary and garlic and butter
  • Foods with contrasting silky / crispy texture
  • Pumpkin as a life theme
  • Big floppy rigatoni noodles
  • Like, things that taste really good?

This month we’re taking the pledge to #ChooseLunch, and is there really a better lunch to look forward to in the fall than creamy pumpkin pasta with rosemary walnut crispies? This is one of those recipes that keeps well for several days, reheats beautifully, fills you up, and tastes so good that you’ll be doing a little happy dance in your head (or, like, not in your head) every time you remember that it’s waiting for you in the fridge.

Breakfast is yummy and dinner is wonderful, but 10/10 chance you’ll have a more productive, happier, feel-good day if you keep yourself well-fed at lunch time. ♡

There are two parts to making this recipe, the most important one being making those little rosemary walnut crispies.

Should you make a double batch of them so you can add them to every salad, roasted vegetable bowl, soup, cheeseboard, snack bag, and stew for the rest of fall and winter? Y to the E to the S. These little guys are universally delicious.

Making the Walnut Crispies:

First, get your walnuts chopped and toasted.

Then toss them with just a little bit of fresh rosemary and brown sugar and black pepper and salt and butter. It’s just an essential walnut spa treatment, really. Try not to eat all of them hot off the pan because WOW.

Fun fact: Walnuts are an incredible source of Omega-3 fatty acids which are important for your body and your brain, and can help fight things like depression and anxiety, and inflammation, and a variety of other things. Food is so amazing.

Making the Pumpkin Pasta:

Okay, cook your pasta.

Make your pumpkin sauce which is so easy and life-changingly good.

Combine.

Pasta goes in the bowl, and a spoonful of rosemary walnut crispies (okay, fine, a few more) (and then just a few more) go on top.

THIS IS LIVING. Honestly. This bowl of pumpkiny, rosemary/garlic goodness is going to get you right in the fall feels.

Check out our video for how to make Pumpkin Rigatoni:

Pumpkin Rigatoni with Rosemary Walnut Crispies

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings

Description

Pumpkin Rigatoni with Rosemary Walnut Crispies! Silky, creamy, savory pumpkin-sauce-bathed rigatoni sprinkled with rosemary walnut crispies. The BEST.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Rigatoni

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1–2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • squeeze of lemon
  • 1 lb. rigatoni

Rosemary Walnut Crispies

  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1–2 tablespoons brown sugar (I like 2)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Rosemary Walnut Crispies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Run the walnuts through a food processor until they have a chopped texture. Arrange chopped walnuts on a small sheet pan and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss with rosemary, butter, sugar, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool.
  2. Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce: Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant (do not brown the garlic – it tastes bitter). Add the pumpkin and broth; simmer until smooth. Add the cream and salt; simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add a little squeeze of lemon juice if you’re into that.
  3. Pasta: Cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Toss with sauce.
  4. Assemble: Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a sprinkle of the walnut crispies on top, and a little sprig of rosemary for a fancy garnish if, you know, you’re fancy.

Notes

Vegan Version: Use olive oil in place of the butter, and full-fat coconut milk in place of the cream. (The vegan version is not quite as rich but it’s really, really good.)

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Thank you to California Walnuts for sponsoring this recipe!

The post Pumpkin Rigatoni with Rosemary Walnut Crispies appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

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