Saucy baked pumpkin pasta made with creamy pumpkin puree, ground turkey sausage, veggies, and layers of cheese. This easy, cheesy pumpkin pasta bake is a wonderful fall twist on traditional baked ziti! Use your favorite pasta for this comforting, lightened up pasta dish.
Course Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Pasta
Cuisine American
Keyword baked pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pasta bake
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 481cal
Author Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Ingredients
For the sauce:
½tablespoonolive oil
3clovesgarlic, minced
1white onion, diced
1red bell pepper, diced
2cupssliced baby bella mushrooms
1pound94% lean ground turkey*
1tablespoonitalian seasoning
½teaspoonpaprika
½teaspoonred pepper flakes (or a dash of cayenne pepper)
Pinchof nutmeg
½teaspoonsalt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper
1(25 ounce) jar marinara pasta sauce (or whatever sauce you love best)
1cuppumpkin puree*
8ouncesziti or pasta of choice (use gluten free pasta if GF)
For the cheese mixture:
1cuppart-skim ricotta
6ouncesfresh mozzarella, cut into small bite sized pieces and divided (you can also use about 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese)
¼cupgrated parmesan cheese
To garnish:
Fresh chopped parsley or sage
Extra parmesan
Instructions
Add olive oil to a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions, red bell pepper and mushrooms and saute until onions begin to soften and mushrooms cook down, about 4-5 minutes.
Next add in ground turkey, breaking up the meat, and cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add in the seasonings: italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir for about 30 seconds. to incorporate seasonings into the meat, then immediately add in the pasta sauce and pumpkin puree. Stir together, and reduce heat to low and simmer while you cook your pasta.
Add water to a large pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Once boiling, add your pasta and cook until pasta is just barely al-dente. We want the pasta to have a nice bite to it. Once pasta is cooked, drain, then rinse with cool water.
While the pasta cooks: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch pan (or 9x9 inch) with olive oil. Set aside.
Next make your cheese mixture: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, ½ of the mozzarella pieces and parmesan cheese until just combined. Stir in the cooked pasta and 2 cups of the meat sauce. Add a little salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Add half of the pasta mixture to the prepared pan. Top with half of remaining meat sauce and then half of remaining mozzarella pieces. Repeat with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pasta is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and parsley before serving. Serves 6-8.
Notes
*If you're looking to add extra nutrition, feel free to add the entire can of pumpkin puree!To make vegetarian: Use 1 can of white beans instead of the turkey. It will still be delicious! Just stir in the beans to the tomato sauce/veggie mixture.To make gluten free I suggest using your favorite gluten free pasta. I love Banza pasta brand.