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This cozy bowl of Pumpkin Spaghetti O’s has quickly become one of our favorite fall pastas. I took the small little O-shaped pasta in a can, that we all grew up enjoying as kids, and updated it with a rich and creamy pumpkin sauce and golden brown butter. Simply boil everything together until al dente, mix in a bit of cheese, and finish with herbs. It’s a very cozy bowl of cheesy spaghetti O-s that’s just fit for fall.
Ok, I know this is kind of different. We all think of Spaghetti O’s and immediately we think of the red sauce O-shaped pasta. Maybe yours had meatballs, maybe it didn’t. Either way, we’re all familiar with the canned pasta.
Honestly, I didn’t grow up eating a lot of Spaghetti O’s. It was more something my older brother, Creighton enjoyed. But I’ll forever remember opening up the kitchen cabinet and consistently seeing the two cans of Spaghetti O’s my mom kept on hand.
I’ve always been more of a cream sauce or oil-based pasta girl. But I’m sure I had a can or two of Spaghetti O’s in my lifetime. Either way, I love the fun O-shape pasta and we all know that I have a lot of fun recreating old-school recipes.
Now that it’s the fall season, I try to think a little outside of the box when it comes to pumpkin. Most of the time we bake with canned pumpkin. But I love using pumpkin in savory soups, pasta, and pizza too!
It’s certainly not just for baking!
Pumpkin Spaghetti O’s details
Step 1: find the pasta
For the 0-shaped pasta, I ordered anellini pasta on Amazon, as it’s not a shape I can easily find in my local stores.
That being said, you can change out the pasta shape for something similar in size. Orzo or tiny shells work wonderfully too!
Step 2: make the pumpkin sauce
This is just like a pumpkin Alfredo sauce. It’s very creamy and rich, but in the best way possible. I love to start with a brown butter. Then add sage and fresh thyme leaves, my go-to herbs throughout the fall.
Then add garlic and fresh chili flakes for even more flavor. The chili flakes are essential. They’re a nice spicy balance to the sweet pumpkin.
Mix in the pumpkin, then add a splash of cider. The cider adds a sweetness that balances out the richness in the sauce along with those chiles. You can omit the cider, but in my opinion, it makes the sauce a little more special.
Once you have the cider and pumpkin in the pan, simmer everything down to intensify the flavor, then add the pasta and water! The water will cook the pasta right down in the very same pan as the sauce. Super simple.
Step 3: finish the sauce
Now that the pasta is all cooked, add parmesan, and creamy sweet gouda cheese. or try pecorino!
I love to leave my spaghetti-os on the saucy side, so I pull the pasta off the heat and quickly serve with a sprinkling of sage and thyme for some added color. You can thin the sauce with milk or cream, as needed.
Every last bite is a delicious one. My whole family really loved this meal.
I know it may seem a little odd to use pumpkin in such a savory way, but trust me, it’s so good. The pumpkin lends a creaminess to the pasta that hits both sweetness and autumn flavors.
Beyond delicious! Please give this one a try, I know you’ll love it – and your family will have fun with it too!
Looking for other fall pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
4 Cheese Roasted Garlic Alfredo Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara with Rosemary Bacon
Browned Sage Butter Chicken Piccata with Mushroom Pasta
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Lastly, if you make these Pumpkin Spaghetti O’s be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pumpkin Spaghetti O’s.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 348 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, plus 2 teaspoon chopped sage
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 2 cups Anellini or other small pasta
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup milk/cream, if needed to thin the sauce
Instructions
- 2. Melt together the butter, sage leaves, and thyme in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is browning and the sage is crisp, 4 minutes. Remove the sage leaves from the butter.2. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining chopped sage, the garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes. Cook 1 minute, then stir in the pumpkin purée and apple cider. Simmer 2-3 minutes, until thickened slightly. Pour over 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes.3. Stir in the parmesan, gouda cheese, and nutmeg until the cheese is melted. Thin the sauce with milk/cream4. Serve immediately topped with sage. Enjoy!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit. I left out the Parmesan because I was worried about it overwhelming the pumpkin flavor, and I added 1/2C of tomato sauce. Still felt like it was missing some umami and added a few dashes of Worcestershire. Also used smoked Gouda. I will for sure make this again, but I’ll probably cook the pasta separately and add it to the sauce with some of the pasta water. I struggled with having enough liquid to cook the pasta through and kept having to add more and tend to it more than I wanted. It’s not VERY pumpkin-y, but it is a lovely warm, fall dish.
Thank you so much Lindsay! xT
Added half a cup of white wine and this was fantastic. thanks for another great one!
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I appreciate you making it and your feedback! x
I was really excited to try this recipe. Second I’ve tried by Tieghan. Followed the recipe and serious lack of flavor. It was… ok?
Surprised the reviews are so high. I read before making it so thought it would be a smash.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for trying this recipe, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Was there anything you may have adjusted or anything specific that I can help with? Let me know! xx
Made this tonight and I will say the recipe was kinda wonky to me. Could have been user error but mine kept being too thick so I had to keep thinning it out. I used ditalini pasta so maybe this was part of the mishap. Also, the amount of cheese in here made it resemble a Mac and cheese rather than a Spaghetti-O’s. I felt the cheese overpowered the pumpkin flavor. Nonetheless it was still a delicious meal despite being different than I expected. The fried sage leaves really brought it all together. Next time I might add crispy pancetta to this.
Hi Jamie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I would try turning your heat down slightly next time, that should help! Have a great weekend! xT
So much flavor! Delicious! However . . . there is no way this is 7 servings . . .unless the serving size is a tablespoon . . . .lol! I think I ate about half for my dinner. I also used shell pasta. Thank you!
Hey Teresa,
So glad you enjoyed this recipe:) Sorry, I’m not sure where the 7 came from, but this recipe should make 4 servings! I hope this helps for next time! xx
This was like a rich mac n’ cheese but the O’s are so much fun!
I followed the instructions and it was delicious. I just made a few ingredient substitutions: butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin and I used Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi blend along with smoked gouda. It was a winner!
Thank you so much Laura!
Hi! I would like to add a protein either on the side or in the dish, what would you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Kenzie,
I think both chicken or sausage would be great to add here! I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xT
So good! Made this last night and can’t wait for leftovers for lunch!!! So quick and easy to pull together. Love that I only had one pot to wash!!!! Sage brown butter, pumpkin, apple cider, and nutmeg!!!! Yum!!! Looking forward to trying more fall inspired recipes. Even with the 2 cups of milk, mine thickened nicely.
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe!! Have a great week! xT