Pumpkin Pasta Bake with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Get ready for a cozy fall meal! This cheesy, veggie-packed Pumpkin Pasta Bake with mushrooms, spinach, and a buttery walnut-sage topping is sure to become a seasonal favorite! 

 Prep Time: 20 minutes
 Cook Time: 30 minutes
 Total Time: 50 minutes
 Servings: 6

 What You’ll Need:
Large baking dish
Stockpot or Dutch oven
Large sauté pan

 Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (rigatoni, shells, ziti, or your favorite type)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
2 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. sliced cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
1 finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3-4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin purée
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese

 Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Boil pasta until slightly undercooked (2 minutes shy of al dente). Drain and set aside.
Make walnut-sage topping: Sauté butter, walnuts, and 1 Tbsp. sage in a pan for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Cook veggies: In the same pan, sauté mushrooms and onion in olive oil until soft. Add tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes, cooking until fragrant. Stir in spinach, oregano, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and remaining sage.
Prepare sauce: Pour in vegetable broth, then stir in pumpkin purée, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup fontina. Mix in cooked pasta until coated.
Bake: Transfer pasta mixture to a greased baking dish. Top with remaining fontina and walnut-sage topping. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes until golden.
Enjoy this comforting and hearty fall dish!