Easy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta, Elevated

What if comfort food could be quick, and perfectly dosed for everyone at the table? We’re taking a humble can of pumpkin and spinning it into a glossy, creamy pasta that delivers big flavor with simple steps—and we’re pairing it with a smarter edibles strategy that puts you in control. No guesswork, no overdoing it, just a flexible, crowd-friendly dish you can serve on a busy weeknight or as a calming counterpoint to holiday chaos.

Catch quick shoutouts to recent guest interviews and a peek at what’s coming next for the Bite Me Cannabis Club, our algorithm-free space for curious cooks. If you love edible-friendly recipes, fall flavors, and kitchen techniques that make life easier, this one’s for you. Enjoy the recipe, share it with a friend, and if it hits the spot, subscribe, leave a rating, and tell us your favorite pasta shape—we’re taking notes for future episodes.

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Chapters

• 2:13 Welcome And Show Focus
• 4:00 Recent Interviews And Shoutouts
• 6:28 Why Pumpkin Pasta Now
• 8:03 Using Leftover Pumpkin Creatively
• 9:24 Dosing Strategy With Infused Oil
• 11:05 Recipe Steps And Ingredients
• 14:29 Variations, Greens, And Freezing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:09

What happens when you take a love of food, a passion for culture, and a deep knowledge of cannabis and you toss them all into one bowl? You get Bite Me, the podcast that explores the intersection of food, culture, and cannabis and helps cooks make great edibles at home. I, as always, am your lovely host, Margaret, a certified gangier, TCI certified cannabis educator, and I believe that your kitchen is the best dispensary you'll ever have. Together we'll explore the stories, the science, and the sheer joy of making safe, effective, and unforgettable edibles at home. So preheat your oven and let's get ready for a great episode. Friends, today, episode 326, Creamy Pumpkin Pasta. Yes, that's right. That's what we're going to be covering today. And it feels like it's been a hot minute. I know that the last couple episodes I put out were interviews. And if you haven't had a chance yet to check those out, I recommend that you do. Because one, I love doing interviews. It is one way that I can connect with other find folks in the cannabis space and people who are doing some really cool things in the world. And the most recent interviews were with Ishka of Cannaboss Babes, Patty and Mark, who did the Nectar Ball documentary, and Amanda Ryman, a two-time guest now, who has so much to share about cannabis, mindful cannabis consumption, among other things. So if you haven't checked those out, please do. And I would love to hear from you. You can always leave me a message. There's numerous ways to get a hold of me, but is there somebody that you would love to see on the podcast? Because 2026 is nearing, and I'm always looking for interesting people to bring onto the show. And I just want to say also thank you for being here. Uh, it really means a lot to me that you are showing up and taking time out of your busy day to listen to me talk about edibles and the thing that we both love. Because I'm assuming if you're listening to this, it's because you are a fan of cannabis and cannabis edibles as much as I am. If this is your first time tuning in, this creamy pumpkin pasta is one that I will be making again. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's a fun, easy recipe to have in the repertoire when you know it's nice to have like a few dishes on rotation that you can be like, I'm gonna make this because I am feeling not like getting into something more in depth. And if you've been listening for a while, I wouldn't be here without you. So again, I appreciate you. So today we're making this creamy pumpkin pasta. And do you know I was should I do nah? I don't feel like doing a trivia. We're gonna be doing this creamy pumpkin pasta. Why is this exciting? Why should you make this? Well, uh, as I record this, we are going to be nearing Thanksgiving in the US of A, and there will be many of you who will be purchasing items to make a traditional turkey dinner. And if you happen to be picking up a can of pumpkin puree, why not grab two? And then you can make this as well. When the dust settles and the turkey's all gone, or leading up to because you don't want to make something that's really fussy before you're putting on a big dinner. And pumpkin, I feel like, is really underutilized as an ingredient. It's more popular, cousin the squash, I think, gets more gets more attention. And I think it's time we we stopped that. I mean, of course, pumpkin is the highlight of the Halloween season, but not in the same way. I mean, let's be honest, you're buying a pumpkin to carve it up, to make it into something else. And yes, if you're fortunate, you can roast those pumpkin seeds, and that's really great, but you're not incorporating pumpkin into your dishes at that time. Yes, the pumpkin is a star of the show, but in a very different manner. So this is an opportunity to try out some pumpkin-inspired cooking. Now, if you're thinking, but Margaret, I went out, I bought some stuff, and it calls for a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree in this recipe that you're sharing with me today. What am I gonna do with the leftovers? Because I they only had the big cans. Well, I'm glad you asked. Because I recently did an episode on a pumpkin spice creamer. You could do that. I have done an episode on dog treats that were that had pumpkin puree in them. And I have actually done a number of pumpkin-based recipes over the years: pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies. There is no reason why you can't find a way to use up the rest of the pumpkin if you don't use it all, and you could only get the big cans. So there is my little PSA of the day. Now, are we infusing this whole creamy pumpkin pasta? Of course we are, but the way we're gonna be doing it is such that you can share this with people of all tolerances or with no tolerance whatsoever. You've got options. Let's get into it, shall we? And before I do begin, pull at your phone right now, hit the share button to share this with somebody that you think would enjoy it. Because word of mouth is still the best way to share the show with other uh edibles enthusiasts out there. And you know, my marketing budget is uh kind of limited. I don't have deep pockets to be advertising in traditional spaces, and also I am in the cannabis space, so many of those options are not open to me. So word of mouth is still the best way to spread the word. So if you would do that for me right now, I would appreciate it, and I appreciate you. Creamy pumpkin pasta. I made this a little while ago, not thinking that I would enjoy it as much as I did, but I did see this recipe and I was like, oh, I really like I do like pumpkin. And I had recently made that pumpkin spice creamer, so I had pumpkin on my mind. And I found this recipe from a bon appetit by Rachel Gurjar. I hope I said your name correctly, Rachel. And she says, transform a can of pumpkin puree into a luscious, creamy pumpkin pasta sauce for a near-instant dinner with major fall feels. And I can't confirm this does have major fall feels, and it was pretty easy to put together. I made it on a weeknight. And as the recipe is written, it says four servings. I think I got more than that out of it. I was just cooking for two, but we ate it for a few days in a row. I loved it. I will definitely be making it again because I do tend to try and keep pure pumpkin puree in my cupboard. And if you're ever feeling uninspired, this is a good way to get a healthy dose of some vegetables because pumpkin is again a healthy vegetable that is often overlooked. So, what do you need for this recipe to make it all happen? You need a medium tube-shaped pasta, such as rigatoni, penny, or calamarata. I've not heard of calamarata, I will admit. And I think at the end of the day, I used a rotini because when I went to the store to get a couple of the items, I forgot to get the pasta. So it can work with other shapes, but I can see why the medium tube-shaped pasta would be pretty nice with this. But at the end of the day, if you forget, whatever works. You need salt, your extra virgin olive oil, a medium white onion, six cloves of garlic, the crushed red pepper flakes, which I really feel is an ingredient you should not skip in this dish. The crushed red pepper flakes, I think, tied it all together. You need some heavy cream, the zest of a lemon, and some parmesan, some to go in the sauce and a little extra for grating. Here's what you're going to do to put this together. You're going to cook your pasta, as one does. And when you drain it, you're going to reserve a couple cups of the pasta cookie water. Now, meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, you're going to heat the olive oil in your Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan. And then you add your white onion, your garlic. It does call for six cloves of garlic, so this is pretty garlicky, but I didn't actually find it overwhelming. Maybe because it made quite a bit, but you could always adjust that as needed if you're, depending on how you feel about garlic. I love garlic, but some people might feel differently. This is where you also add your crushed red pepper flakes and you stir it until the onions are softened. Then you add your can of pumpkin puree. Stir it up. Stir in your heavy cream with a little bit of the reserved pasta cooking water. And next, you're going to add the pasta to the sauce and cook. Tossing in a little more of the pasta cooking liquid if you feel that it needs it. You're going to make sure that the pasta is nice and coated with the sauce. And then you're going to finish it with yoemon zest and parmesan, all mixed in the same Dutch oven. Which is why, just to note that if you're making this, you do need a pan that's going to be big enough to hold the pasta that you're cooking as well. Because it really is worth putting it all in together. But that's it. It does come together really quickly. And it is delicious. Now, if you're somebody that's just like, but I really do need some greenery in my life, I feel like you could easily add some greenery to this if you were so called. I didn't do that. Sometimes it does feel weird to eat something that doesn't have something green in it, but I could see this working really well with maybe finely chopped broccoli florets. Maybe you could throw in a little spinach, do a side salad if you don't want to mix it up too much. Uh so yeah, I mean this, I feel like this has some versatility to it. And you know how I feel about versatility being able to amend things to suit your personal preferences. Now you might be saying, but Margaret, where did you infuse this? And that's when I'm going to say, well, I haven't yet. And that's because I feel like pasta is one of the best dishes for adding an infused olive oil to after the fact. And the reason why this I think is the best way to approach a dish like this is because it does make so much. And if you use infused olive oil, when you're cooking the onion, I mean you are cooking at a medium heat, so I don't think you're going to destroy any of your cannabinoids, but that means your entire dish that serves four people. And actually, I think we've got six, six um servings out of it when I made it. You're going to be infusing an entire six servings. And what if you don't necessarily want to get high for all six servings? What if you're serving it to somebody who doesn't want to get high at all? Well, that's why you take some of your olive oil that you have, of course, dosed. You know how strong it is, ideally, especially if you're sharing it with anybody else besides yourself. And you're going to serve up your dishes, you're going to add your extra parmesan for serving, and then actually, I'd probably do the parmesan after. But I would take uh some of that olive oil and drizzle it on to the pasta, then add my parmesan, maybe a little pepper, chef's kiss. And it's simple as that. And that way you can tailor it. So also you know that if you have a tolerance of a certain amount and somebody needs more or less than that, you can easily adjust as you see fit. That's why I also really love having like olive oil on hand or other infusions that can lend themselves well for infusing savory dishes. Now I had thought, because it did make quite a bit, I do tend to do this. I'll make I love cooking once and then eating a couple dinners out of it. It made enough. I probably could have frozen some. I never did get around to freezing any of it because uh we just ate it all and it was delicious. But this is a great recipe to use some of that pumpkin puree. And again, it's a relatively quick weeknight meal. So if you have a busy evening, it doesn't take too long to put together and you can medicate it as you see fit. So many great things about this recipe. So I really encourage you to give it a try, especially if you're a pumpkin fan, if you love pasta, if you have infused olive oil, then by all means, this is the best, that's the best way to infuse it. I hope you enjoy it. I think you will. I would love to hear how it turns out for you if you try it out. Also, let me know what other recipes you would love me to cover. So before we part ways today, I just also wanted to mention that I am planning some new things in the Bite Me Cannabis Club for the month of January. I will be talking about it very soon, but it's not quite ready yet. I have a few things yet to iron out, but do keep your eyes open for that. And of course, if you want to become a member of the Bite Me Cannabis Club, we would love to have you. It is a really great space that is free of algorithms. Who here is also sick of algorithms that are dictating our lives? It seems like every time we turn around. Yes, do they know us intimately and know exactly what it is that we potentially want to see? Sure. Is that a little creepy? Also, yes. So, I mean, there are I am still on social media platforms because those are all algorithmically based, also not chronological. So, anyway, if you want to escape all that, also the censorship, censorship on many social media platforms around cannabis is another reason why coming over to Bite Me Cannabis Club is so wonderful. So I encourage you to check it out and consider joining. We would love to have you. I am always open to questions if you have any questions about it. I have one more interview to come out before the end of the new year. It's one that uh several people have been asking for, and I think and I'm excited to release it. I do have an interview coming out with Dr. Kassara Andre, and she is a veterinarian that specializes in cannabis. So that is going to be a great episode. I think you are all going to enjoy it, so stay tuned for that. That will be coming out very soon. And then we're getting into the end of the year. I think that's it for today, my friends. I am your host, Margaret, and until next time, stay high.