Have you ever had honey roasted pecans? If you haven’t, they make an amazing little snack or garnish on a meal. Crunchy and sweet, and ready in 15 minutes!
I knew I wanted to make a pumpkin sauce this Fall, but as I’ve mentioned in other posts it’s important to take note of the textures of your dish. With pasta, pumpkin sauce, and burrata cheese…it’s all very one texture. Enter the honey roasted pecan. The perfect crunchy and sweet topping to a warm and creamy pumpkin sauce. This has Fall written all over it.
How to Make Honey Roasted Pecans
The great thing about making these pecans is it’s SO easy.
- Chop 1 cup of pecans and place in a large bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of honey and sprinkle with salt. Stir to combine.
- Roast for 10 minutes, then stir and roast for an addition 2 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with another dash of salt.
Honey roasted pecans can be served as a snack just by themselves! The combination of the pecan flavor with the sweet from the honey and the dash of salt makes these a little tasty bite that’s perfect for a party or watching a movie.
Now let’s talk about the pumpkin sauce.
Pumpkin sauce for pasta is warm, creamy, and total comfort food. Don’t think sweet or pumpkin pie, it’s not that at all. Have you ever tried pumpkin puree fresh out of the can? It’s incredibly bland and reminds you that pumpkin, after all, is a type of squash. It just so happens that pumpkin is a squash that is famously seasoned with spices and sugar and can be made into a quintessential Fall pie. But, if you don’t season pumpkin puree with spice or sugar and instead use it in a savory cream sauce you wind up with a smooth and creamy sauce that is the perfect pasta sauce.
Top this with burrata cheese for the ultimate pasta dinner!
You might also like:
Marsala Cream Sauce Pasta
Sun-dried Tomato and Burrata Pasta
Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Honey Roasted Pecans
Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Honey Roasted Pecans is the ultimate Fall comfort food. A warm and creamy sauce made with pumpkin, then topped with crunchy honey roasted pecans. Savory and perfect for the cooler weather.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Pasta
Ingredients
For the Honey Roasted Pecans
1 cup pecans
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
For the Pumpkin Sauce and Pasta
4 cups dry mezze rigatoni pasta
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 shallot, finely chopped
6–7 sage leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more if you like)
1 container burrata cheese balls
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
2. Chop the pecans, then place in a bowl and mix with the honey and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stir then bake an additional 2 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with another dash of salt and let cool.
3. After the pasta water is boiling, cook the mezze rigatoni and cook for 10 minutes.
4. While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan heat the butter then add the diced shallot and cook for 3 minutes. Next add the grated garlic and chopped sage and cook an additional 1 minute. Add in the pumpkin puree, the half & half, 1/2 cup water and the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese, stir, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Pour the cooked rigatoni into the pumpkin sauce and stir to coat.
5. To serve, spoon a portion of the pumpkin rigatoni into a bowl, top with the honey roasted pecans, more Parmesan cheese, and one ball of burrata cheese.
Notes
Pumpkin sauce was adapted from a Plated recipe.
Tasted great! Thank you so much for the recipe.