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This rich and creamy Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta Bake is a cozy baked dish with pumpkin, ricotta, spinach and rounded out with a touch of oregano. Takes minutes to prep and can easily be prepped ahead of time. Great comfort food for a warm, fall family dinner.
Cozy baked pasta is a family favorite. This simple pumpkin pasta recipe was inspired by this Easy Baked Pasta recipe and my love for all things pumpkin and fall recipe favorites.
Most of the pumpkin we enjoy tends to be on the sweet side but I love pumpkin in savory dishes, especially this pasta bake and in pumpkin quinoa chili as well!
Other cozy pasta dishes we love include my favorite No Boil Lasagna, One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese, Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or this Crock Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta is on repeat lately in our house! Or if you love ricotta cheese, try these Ricotta Chicken Meatballs!
Why We love This Pumpkin Pasta Bake
It is so simple to prepare. Cook your pasta, stir all the sauce ingredients together and then combine it all. Bake and enjoy. Nothing extreme needed to enjoy this flavorful fall pumpkin simple pasta dish.
Leftovers taste even better the next day. The flavors are even better on day two. If you have leftovers, you will be so happy!
It is great for meal prepping. You can prep this entire pumpkin ricotta pasta dish up to about a day in advance. Then you can pop it in the oven about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat for the most simple dinner recipe.
Cozy and comforting–the perfect fall food! I crave dishes like this when the weather cools off. Cheesy, pumpkin and pasta goodness will hit the spot and even warm the soul!
Ingredients Notes
- pasta: I used rotini or rigatoni pasta most of the time. You could use shells or penne for sure. Any short pasta is ideal. Whole grain or gluten free will work as well.
- ricotta cheese: I am a big fan of the real deal–whole milk ricotta. For the best flavor and texture it is definitely what I recommend. But you can use a lower fat version if desired.
- mozzarella: freshly shredded will melt the best versus buying pre-shredded cheese
- pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is super simple and well priced during fall. Make sure you don’t get canned pumpkin pie because that will be sweet and very cinnamon.
- spinach: I opt for fresh, baby spinach. You can use frozen, but make sure to thaw it and wring out any excess water.
- milk or cream: whole milk is my preference if using milk. Heavy cream will make this extra rich and creamy which is 100% my preference!
- broth: This will thin the sauce out to desired consistency as the pumpkin and ricotta are very thick. Adjust to your desired thickness of sauce. Chicken broth or vegetable broth both are great.
- seasonings: I love the use of oregano versus sage which would be more likely paired with pumpkin. I also add a bit of Italian seasoning a lot and recently added it to the recipe in general! To change it up you could always add a bit of each.
- nutmeg: Just a pinch is all you need, but don’t skip it! It adds a great level of flavor to the dish.
Recipe Variations
- add fresh herbs: you are welcome to add in some freshly chopped sage, oregano or even some rosemary to really amp up the flavor in this dish
- add meat: you can stir in some cubed chicken, browned Italian sausage, etc. to up the protein
- use cottage cheese: while I LOVE the ricotta in this recipe, you can most certainly use cottage cheese for a higher protein, tangier flavor. You can whip it until smooth before adding it for a creamier texture.
How to make this pumpkin ricotta baked pasta
Step 1: Cook your pasta according to package instructions until al dente or just before al dente. Once it is cooked, drain and then toss the hot pasta with the spinach to allow it to wilt.
Step 2: While the pasta cooks beat the egg in a large bowl. Add in the pumpkin, ricotta, cream, broth, and seasonings, and whisk until smooth. Stir in one cup of mozzarella and the parmesan. You are welcome to add more cream or broth to thin this out if it seems a bit thick.
Step 3: Once the pasta is cooked and tossed with the spinach, add it to the mixing bowl with the pumpkin ricotta mixture. Toss well to combine.
Step 4: Add pasta to the pumpkin ricotta mixture and stir well to coat all of the rotini. Pour into a small to medium greased casserole dish or a 9×9 greased pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until slight bubbling.
Step 5: Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Recipe Tips
You can prepare this entire dish a day in advanced and bake just prior to serving. The flavors will be even stronger from sitting for 24 hours. I recommend tossing the pasta once before placing in the oven.
For extra browned cheese on top, broil the last few minutes. Shift the oven to broil in high for several minutes to melt the cheese and add a level of crispiness to it.
Feel free to add some Italian sausage or another meat into the pasta as well. We love adding it, but only do from time to time because this pumpkin ricotta pasta bake is already really hearty.
Other Pasta Recipes
- Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Italian Sausage
- Crock Pot Short Rib Ragu
- Spicy Sausage Pasta
- Creamy Pesto + Spinach Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Lemon Ricotta One Pot Pasta
- Easy Baked Pasta with Spinach
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Cheesy Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 8 oz. rigatoni or short pasta
- 2 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1 egg*, beaten
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 ½-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ – ¾ cup heavy cream, half and half or milk will work
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½-1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp onion powder*
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, optional
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½-1 tsp sea salt
- pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook pasta according to box directions until al dente, or just before.
- While the pasta cooks beat the egg in a large bowl. Add in the pumpkin, ricotta, cream, broth, and seasonings, and whisk until smooth. Stir in one cup of mozzarella and the parmesan. You are welcome to add more cream or broth to thin this out if it seems a bit thick.
- When pasta is cooked, drain and then toss with the spinach to wilt.
- Add pasta to the pumpkin ricotta mixture and stir well to coat all of the rotini. Pour into a small to medium greased casserole dish or a 9×9 greased pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until slight bubbling.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and bake another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Cool for several minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I happen to have a ton of cubed, frozen pumpkin that I chopped up a few weeks ago. Can I use this instead of the purée but still mix it into the ricotta mixture, perhaps blanching it in boiling water for a couple minutes before adding it in?
Hi! Is the cubed pumpkin raw or was it cooked?
Last year, we finally tackled a big backyard renovation, ripping out all the plants we’d been wanting to get rid of for years and tossing them into our In their place, I planted a garden I’ve always dreamed of, and this fall it really paid off—except now we have more pumpkins than we know what to do with! I definitely overestimated how many we’d actually eat. That’s why this recipe was such a fun find! It’s such a creative way to work pumpkins into meals, and we absolutely loved it. Thanks for sharing—it’s been a great solution for our pumpkin overload!
So amazing to hear!!
Have you tried with spaghetti squash or a different low carb option? Trying to avoid the carbs (and diabetes…)! Thank you!
Hi! I have not but I imagine if you took spaghetti squash and roasted it and then pulled it, using about a pound, you should be just fine. I think I might try that asap!!!
This was really good! I was afraid it being bland so I sautéed the shallots and garlic, then added the veggie broth to deglaze the pan. Added some granulated garlic and onions for extra flavor. Used provolone cheese instead of mozzarella. I throw bags of fresh spinach in the freezer, so I just smash the bag, and it gives you nice small pieces that you can just sprinkle over the pasta to heat it up and toss in the sauce. Served with a side salad. I think sautéed mushrooms would also go nice with this. I appreciate dishes like this as a vegetarian.
Can you substitute with frozen spinach instead of fresh and cottage cheese instead of ricotta
Hi Ashley! Frozen spinach should work–really squeeze the water out. Cottage cheese will work, but it will be noticeable so that is up to you!
sounds delicious ,being that i am cooking for 2 can the leftovers be frozen
Hi! Yes you can freeze it. When thawing/reheating, the pasta itself can lose a little bit of its consistency but overall I think it’s ok!
I just thought, what is you add browned hot Italian sausage in for fun??
I think that would be amazing! I was planning on trying it with browned ground turkey soon as well!
Would ground chicken work? And what would you need to do with the chicken, other than browning it… Any spices or onion or sage maybe? I am a newbie, can you tell? Wait, don’t answer that. Ha!
Hi there!! Ground chicken or even sliced chicken sausages—yum!! If just season it with a touch of salt, pepper and garlic to your liking before adding. A bit of sage would be great for sure!! Enjoy!! And if you are already trying to add and enhance recipes, you can’t be a newbie!!!
This was sooooo good! The flavor combination of the pumpkin and the ricotta was everything, definitely going to be added to the regular rotation!
Thanks Emily! My dad, who was verrry skeptic loved it so bonus!
You had me at ricotta. I love the salty forwardness of the cheese balanced with the mild sweetness of pumpkin. I admit, I’m a sage-a-holic and I would probably top the whole thing with some fresh sage leaves. This recipe screams fall.
OOOH great idea on the sage!
The best part about this was I honestly had to do little work and it tasted amazing! Such a great fall dinner!
Oh honey, you know if there is effort required then I am not putting it on the blog right??? 😉