Easy Pumpkin Ragu Pasta Sauce (Made with Canned Pumpkin)

This quick and easy weeknight pumpkin ragu pasta is the perfect cozy homemade dinner! Made with a flavorful ingredient list like onions, garlic, carrots, canned pumpkin, tomatoes, and ground beef. Pair this easy-to-make sauce with your favorite gluten free pasta for a fancy dinner in!

The best pumpkin ragu

If ever there was a think-about-it-all-day kind of dinner, pasta is IT.

And when that pasta is easy enough to make on a weeknight? Well then you’ve really won the dinner lottery.

Especially if someone is *cough cough* making this for you as a date-night-in dinner.

Because sometimes date night in > date night out.

Date night in usually means:

• Spending less money
• More quality 1:1 time with your boo
• Kitchen dance parties
• Nobody has to drive so you can BOTH have wine
• Dessert can be eaten in your jammies. Or let’s be honest, eaten in BED in your jammies with some Netflix playing on your laptop #dreamdate

WIN WIN WIN.

If you love this easy pasta be sure to check out our recipes for Dairy Free Butternut Squash Pasta, Homemade Pesto Pasta, and our Creamy Tomato Sausage Pasta! They are all gluten free, dairy free, and perfect for date night.

How to make pumpkin ragu sauce

Like any delicious pasta sauce, layering the flavors and giving them time to develop in the pan is the KEY to mouthwatering flavor.

But since this is a relatively quick pasta sauce, there’s actually just a few simple steps to layering flavors, and none of them take more than 10 minutes.

You’ll want to start by pulling out all of the ingredients and prepping the veggies and aromatics. Once you’ve got that done, it’s time to start cooking!

Here’s the step-by-step details

First step:

• The onions and carrots get sautéed for about 10-12 minutes in plenty of olive oil until they’re nice and tender and starting to caramelize. Don’t cut yourself short on this step. The caramelization is the first layer of flavor in the sauce and adds a really compelling depth of flavor that you’re gonna want in the final dish.

Second step:

• Once the veggies are caramelized you’ll add the rest of the aromatics to the pan – garlic, thyme (fresh or dried), and a pinch of chili flakes. Sauté those just for a minute or so – until fragrant.

Third step:

• Add in the ground beef or turkey and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking it up with a spatula until cooked through. I like to leave any released fat in the pan for flavor, but at this point you could drain some of it off if you like.

Fourth step:

• Add the pumpkin puree and marinara sauce and stir to combine. Lower the heat so it’s just at a low key slow simmer – you could let it simmer for up to 20 minutes, but it really only takes about 10 or so to deepen the flavors. Which just so happens to be the perfect amount of time to cook your pasta.

Fifth step:

• Cook your pasta of choice while the sauce simmers. Just before serving add about 1 tablespoon of red wine or apple cider vinegar to the sauce and simmer another minute or so (the vinegar really brings out the flavors in the tomatoes so they can shine!). Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed and serve with you cooked and drained pasta!
• Top with parmesan cheese if desired (or dairy free parmesan), and some freshly chopped herbs, pour yourself a glass of win and DIG IN!

Our favorite gluten free pasta

Because I eat 100% gluten free, we always use gluten free pasta. These days there’s a TON of options out there, but these are some of our favorites!

• Cappello’s grain free pasta – Cappello’s fettuccine is the pasta that I used in the photos for this recipe. Their pasta is not only gluten free but also grain free! You can purchase their pasta on their website or in the freezer section at most natural grocery stores.
• Jovial organic brown rice pasta – This is by far the best gluten free pasta that I’ve had that’s made from brown rice. Their tagliatelle is so good you’d never know it was gluten free if you hadn’t bought it yourself. Jovial GF pasta can be found on Amazon, Thrive Market, or at most natural grocery stores.

A few notes on the recipe

• To make the recipe as quickly as possible prep all of your ingredients before you even turn on the stove. If you’re cooking with someone else split the prep list and you’ll be diving your fork into a bowl of pumpkin ragu before you know it!
• Don’t skip out on caramelizing the carrots and onions before you add anything else to the pan. This step adds nice depth of flavor that you don’t want to miss out on.
• This pumpkin ragu can be made with either ground beef or turkey. Ground chicken would also work but I would recommend dark meat, as ground chicken breast will be on the drier side.
• To keep this recipe dairy free – skip the parmesan cheese or opt for some homemade dairy free parmesan!
• And for a paleo option find a grain free pasta or gnocchi to serve it with, or enjoy the ragu over a roasted sweet potato or some sautéed greens!

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Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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