When it comes to hearty dishes, you cannot go wrong with pasta + pumpkin. And when sautéed mushrooms and crunchy hazelnuts are involved, it cannot get more comforting.
This rustic pasta recipe features soy-glazed mushrooms, hazelnuts that are caramelized until golden brown and crunchy, and insanely creamy pumpkin fusilli. It makes the perfect fall dinner (or lunch)!
We start by preparing the pasta sauce that relies on pumpkin purée, cashews for extra creaminess, nutritional yeast, and spices like ground chili and smoked paprika for a smoky flavor. Simply put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
Next, onto the caramelized hazelnuts! They add crunch, a subtle sweetness, and their nutty flavor goes very well with the pumpkin and mushrooms. To make it, heat a tablespoon of sugar in a saucepan until it turns into a light caramel. Add your crushed hazelnuts and stir to coat with the caramel.
Once your hazelnuts are caramelized, set aside and sautée your mushrooms in the same pan.
Finally, cook your pasta and coat with the pumpkin sauce. I went with fusilli that absorb the sauce very well, but feel free to use macaroni or even penne.
To serve, top with the sautéed mushrooms and caramelized hazelnuts. If you want to add color and greens, you can serve it with sautéed Brussel sprouts, spinach, or kale on the side!
This dish is hearty, super good, creamy, and so comforting! It’s perfect for those cold and dark Fall or Winter days. Grab a bowl and get warmed from the inside!
Looking for more Fall recipes? Check out this Curried Mashed Pumpkin with Spicy Green Lentils, Cozy & Cheesy Vegan Meatball Soup, or these Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Tempeh Scramble Tacos!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Caramelized Hazelnut Mushrooms
Ingredients
Pumpkin Sauce
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 and 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground chili
Caramelized Hazelnut Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup slightly crushed hazelnuts
- 1 tsp oil
- 8-10 mushrooms sliced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Pasta
- 2 cups dry fusilli
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
Instructions
- Pumpkin Sauce
- To a blender, add the pumpkin purée, water, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, smoked paprika, and ground chili. Blend on high speed for 15-20 seconds, or until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Caramelized Hazelnut Mushrooms
- In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and 1 teaspoon of water. Heat over low-medium heat until the sugar starts to boil. Keep cooking until the sugar gets a light golden brown color and turn into a caramel. Add the crushed hazelnuts and stir to coat them with the caramel. Keep cooking and stirring for about 3 minutes, or until the caramel has melted again and coat the hazelnuts completely. Transfer to a plate and let it cool completely.
- To the same saucepan, add the oil and the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Deglaze with the soy sauce and cook for another 3 minutes. Next, add the caramelized hazelnuts back to the saucepan (hazelnuts should have hardened so you might have to break them into smaller pieces), stir and remove from heat.
- Pasta
- Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
- In the meantime, cook the fusilli according to the package instructions. Drain and add to the skillet. Pour in the pumpkin sauce, stir to coat, and cook for 5 minutes, or until hot.
- Divide the pumpkin pasta between serving bowls and top with the caramelized hazelnuts mushrooms. Serve immediately as is, or with sautéed greens or Brussel Sprouts on the side.
- Pumpkin pasta and mushrooms will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
This was delicious! I had a bit of trouble with making caramel since I’d never done it before and I think the small quantity made the water evaporate the first time I made it. The second batch was much more successful and I loved this pasta dish! I would also definitely eat the soy sauce mushrooms with caramelized hazelnuts as a stand-alone side dish. Delicous!
Thanks for your feedback Rowan!
I’ve made this recipe twice. Both times I’ve found the problem to be that a pan small enough to carameiize the sugar is too small for all the mushrooms. Any thoughts?
You can caramelize the sugar in a big pan, just stir regularly to prevent it from browning unevenly.