Quick and Easy Weeknight Pumpkin Ragu {gluten free + paleo friendly}

This quick and easy weeknight pumpkin ragu pasta is the perfect cozy homemade dinner! Made with a flavorful real food ingredient list like onions, garlic, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, and organic grass fed ground beef. Pair this easy to make sauce with your favorite pasta & glass of wine for a fancy stay at home Italian meal to nourish your body! Gluten free + paleo friendly.

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 😉 With Valentine’s (and Galentine’s!) Day coming up I felt like it was the right time to share this easy yet fancy make-at-home pasta recipe.

Because honestly sometimes date night in > date night out.

Date night in usually means:

• Spending less money
• Eating a little bit healthier
• More quality 1:1 time with your hunny
• Kitchen dance parties
• Nobody has to drive so you can BOTH have wine 😉
• The dessert course 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.

So now that we’ve established that this pasta is the ticket to winning date night in (or any weeknight dinner in!), let’s get down to it and talk about all the quick and easy details on HOW to make it!

How to make this quick and easy weeknight pumpkin ragu

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 (or dairy free parmesan), and some freshly chopped herbs, pour yourself a glass of win and DIG IN!

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A few notes on ingredients for this weeknight pumpkin ragu

Healthier marinara sauce

One of the reasons this recipe is so quick and easy is that it’s made using a store bought marinara sauce. Most nights when I’m making a tomato based pasta sauce this is what I reach for.

Why? It saves a TON of time, and there’s so many great brands out there that are 100% organic, free of processed vegetable oils, and sugar free, too.

Some of my favorite jarred marinara sauces are:

• Muir Glen No Sugar Added Pasta Sauce
• Thrive Market Organic Marinara
• Whole Foods 365 Organic Marinara

If you can’t find one of these brands or don’t want to order them online, but you’d love to find a healthy store bought marinara just check the ingredients your usual grocery store shelf jars. Look for a sauce that only contains veggies, herbs, and olive oil. For the healthiest option, try and find something organic, avoid sugar, soybean oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, and corn oil. The ingredient list doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into if you’re trying to keep it healthy.

Best weeknight shortcut ever!

The best healthy pasta alternatives and where to buy them

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 these pictures. 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 made it yourself. Can be bought on Amazon or at most natural grocery stores.
• Banza chickpea pasta – Of all of the chickpea pastas that I’ve tried, Banza is my favorite! Their pasta is made with just a few real food ingredients, full of protein, and tastes deeee-licious.

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What makes this quick and easy weeknight pumpkin ragu healthy

This homemade pumpkin ragu with pasta is made with real food ingredients and a decent serving size of good-for-you veggies! That means it contains essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber, and protein – making it a complete and wholesome meal.

And by swapping regular pasta for a healthier gluten free option you’re being kinder to your gut and getting a few extra nutrients as well.

If you opt for Cappellos pasta or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and skip the parmesan cheese this recipe is paleo friendly!

Serving suggestions for this healthy pasta

This quick and easy pumpkin ragu is most definitely a complete meal on it’s own, but if you want to fancy it up a bit (for all you date-night-in peeps out there!) pair it with a beautiful green salad.

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 your hunny 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 some totally crave-able 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 definitely recommend dark meat, as ground chicken breast would probably be too dry.
• To keep this recipe:
• Dairy free – skip the parmesan cheese or opt for some homemade dairy free parmesan!
• Gluten free – choose a gluten free pasta.
• Paleo – find a grain free pasta or gnocchi to serve it with, or enjoy the ragu over a roasted sweet potato or some sautéed kale!

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