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This silky smooth and extra creamy Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka is that cozy bowl of pasta we’re all craving most. Cheese Tortellini tossed in a nutty brown butter pumpkin vodka sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! The pumpkin adds a vibrant layer of flavor and richness to this silky smooth and creamy tortellini. Serve this quick cooking dinner up any night of the week. It’s delicious and looks pretty on any table…and everyone LOVES a GOOD creamy vodka pasta. Such a fun fall twist!
It’s mid-October, and in my book, the more creamy pasta and pumpkin recipes the better. I’m trying my best to keep a balance. But with the temperature drop and all the snow this week, I’m really just embracing the cozy.
And this cheesy, creamy tortellini is a true reflection of that.
It’s the perfect dinner to cook up when you’re in need of something simple, but totally delicious and comforting too.
Here are the quick details
I based this recipe off of my traditional vodka sauce, but added in pumpkin and cheesy tortellini.
It’s all really quick to throw together!
Since we’re using pumpkin, I wanted to include a little sage. I just love the flavor blend of sage and pumpkin…with brown butter. So start out by crisping the sage in butter. The butter will brown on the sage leaves and create a really delicious base for your pumpkin vodka sauce.
Next, add the shallots, garlic, oregano, and chili flakes – for a little extra heat. Then stir in the pumpkin and tomato paste and cook until the mix thickens up a bit.
Now stir in the vodka and let everything simmer for a few minutes. Then add the cream and parmesan and let the sauce hang out for a bit.
What does the vodka actually do?
In a traditional vodka sauce, the vodka adds a sharp bite that helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes. And the same is true with pumpkin. When used in small amounts, the vodka will boost and intensify the aroma of the sauce. The key is to slowly simmer vodka into the sauce. This will release its flavors and cook out the alcohol.
If you prefer to not cook with alcohol, swap the vodka for chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even just water. That will be totally fine and your sauce will still be great.
While the sauce is slowly cooking, bring some water to a boil for the tortellini. Boil off the tortellini, it should only take a few minutes. I love to use the cheese tortellini from Whole Foods, but Trader Joe’s has really nice options too!
Now toss that tortellini in the sauce. Then serve up bowls of creamy pasta topped with those crispy sage leaves and an extra dusting of parmesan.
An extra special, but super easy, fall dinner. Oh, and I like to serve this up with a big salad on the side – yum!
Looking for other simple winter pasta dishes? Here are my favorites:
Sage Butter Pumpkin Cheese Ravioli
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Creamy Bacon Tortellini with Charred Broccoli
Lastly, if you make this Brown Butter Pumpkin Alla Vodka Tortellini, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how-to video:
Brown Butter Pumpkin Alla Vodka Tortellini
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 477 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, melt together 2 tablespoons butter and the sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is browning and the sage is crisp, 4 minutes. Remove the sage leaves from the butter and set aside.2. To the skillet, add the olive oil, shallot, garlic, and oregano. Cook until the shallots begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste, pumpkin, and red pepper flakes, cook 4-5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the vodka, cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, 1 tablespoon butter, and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.4. Add the tortellini to the vodka sauce, tossing to coat. If needed, thin the sauce with pasta cooking water.5. Divide the tortellini among plates and top with crispy sage and parmesan. Enjoy!
We really liked this, a very nice fall dish. I made it according to the directions, except for adding the garlic to the shallots after they had become caramelized as one reviewer suggested, and although I rarely do, I did have to add some of the pasta water to the sauce because it was way too thick (possibly because I used some Libby’s pure pumpkin that I had frozen, defrosted and drained of all water). Anyway, another one of your great alla vodka pasta recipes!
Hi Helen! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week 🙂 xTieghan
Delicious. I subbed veggie broth for the vodka, and added extra sage b/c it’s my favorite. So good!
Hi Chelsey! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! Have a great week 🙂 xTieghan
If I don’t have sage leaves, could I use dried sage from my spice rack? Is there a conversation I should use?
Hi there! Yes, you can definitely use dried sage 🙂 I would use about 2-3 teaspoons! xTieghan
If I wanted to add a little protein into this, what sort of meat do you think would go best?
Hi Josie! Some bacon or chicken would be delish! 🙂 xTieghan
This recipe is SOOOO good. I switched out the pumpkin with butternut squash because my husband doesn’t like pumpkin flavor but it still turned out so delicious!! Saving it in my fave fall recipes!
Hey there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xTieghan
This was SO good!!!! My husband and I both super loved this. I used as much sage as I could from my patio garden (so maybe tripled the recipe recommendation) and it was so perfect. The sauce is so creamy without feeling too heavy. It took all of our self control to save some for leftovers and not eat it all up in one sitting! Absolute perfection for these chillier nights.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
Sooo good! I absolutely loved this recipe. Don’t skip out on the sage, it’s easily the best part!
WOW! Excellent recipe. My whole family loved it! It was rich and creamy …so good! Thank you
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week! xTieghan
This sauce was perfect. We added some of the Fieldroast brand vegan apple sage sausage sliced up and mixed in for extra protein and texture. Flavors mixed really well. I actually thought the leftovers, with the sauce thickened up on the pasta, were possibly better than the first night.
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made it tonight Loved it Great Fall recipe
Hello Marie! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So good! I used probably a little more vodka than the recipe called for (used nips instead of measuring from a whole bottle), and I threw in dashes of allspice, nutmeg, and clove to amp up the fall flavors, as well as pan searing some diced chicken to add a little protein to this bowl as well. Incredibly filling and the perfect cold fall day pasta.
This recipe was amazing! Loved the flavors and the spice! Thank you for sharing
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I really loved this recipe. The additions of sage and garlic really give the sauce some character.
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I have everything to make this except… I am considering roasting half a butternut squash I have leftover to sub for the pumpkin. Do you have any thoughts on that? Thanks, your big fan Kerry
I just made this today and our first though was that this would be a great sauce to make with butternut squash as well. I say go for it!
Thank you Tieghan. This recipe was delicious and yet also not what I expected. I was hoping for a more dominant pumpkin flavor – for me, the tomato paste was the dominant flavor (perhaps it was the brand I used?), and the pumpkin was quite subtle; next time I make this I will experiment and reduce the amount of tomato paste and use up the can of pumpkin (an additional 1/2 cup). Like others, I doubled the sage! Still quite good – thank you! Love your recipes!
p.s. did some research on cooking with tomato paste and to reduce the ‘raw tomato taste’, its recommended to cook the paste until its darkened and a bit ‘carmelized’ as well. Noting this for next time!
Hi Jerri! I’m so sorry this recipe wasn’t as pumpkin-flavored as you hoped! You can definitely increase the amount of pumpkin if you’d like 🙂 Enjoy! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!!! My whole family loved this!!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan