WW Recipe of the Day: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Happy October Crocktober 1st!
I've got a yummy easy healthy Weight Watchers friendly slow cooker recipe for Skinny Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pasta Sauce for you today.
AND we're kicking off the official return of Slow Cooker Season by giving away a Cuisinart 3-½-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker (affiliate link) and copy of our very popular Cooking Yourself Slim Slow Cooker eCookbook, a collection of 50 of our favorite easy, healthy and delicious slow cooker recipes to one lucky winner!
Details will be provided at the end of the post 🙂
Skinny on Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
This recipe, which just screams fall, is from 365 Slow Cooker Suppers (affiliate link) by Stephanie O'Dea, who has the great blog, A Year of Slow Cooking.
She came up with it while trying to recreate a creamy pumpkin pasta dish she had on vacation and says it's the sage that brings out the pumpkiny flavor. I totally agree.
Rod and I both really liked the creamy, cheesy, sagey, pumpkiny flavor of this pumpkin pasta sauce. I appreciated how easy it was - you just dump everything in the slow cooker and let it bubble away until your ready for dinner.
The recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta - too much for our little family.
So, one night I used some of it on Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ravioli that had been languishing in the freezer since last fall.
Then I used the leftover sauce on penne pasta a few nights later. Both were hits.
Steph's original recipe calls for ½ cup of cream, an ingredient that can make some fat-phobic Weight Watchers nervous.
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
To satisfy my curiosity, I ran the nutrition numbers using both cream and evaporated skim milk so I could compare.
Because you're talking about such a small amount, just 1 tablespoon per serving, using cream only increased the calories by 13 (43 calories with skim v. 56 calories with cream per serving) and didn't change the points value.
I opted for the cream, but if you're feeling the need to keep things as skinny as you can, go with evaporated skim milk. It provides a nice creamy consistency with less fat.
This Weight Watchers friendly slow cooker pumpkin pasta sauce is perfect for fall and definitely one I plan on making again.
I love the ease of just having to cook pasta and add it to the sauce at dinner time.
A mixed green salad with chopped apple and dried cranberries provided the perfect contrast of flavors and textures.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Pumpkin Pasta Sauce?
According to my calculations each serving of this slow cooker pumpkin pasta sauce has 56 calories and:
3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
1 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you like this easy slow cooker pumpkin pasta sauce, be sure to check out my other light and healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Slow Cooker Sausage Spaghetti Sauce, Crock Pot Pumpkin Black Bean Chili, Skinny Crock Pot Marinara Sauce, Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs with Sauce, CrockPot Cajun Sausage Pasta Sauce and WW Friendly Homemade Pumpkin Puree
If you've made this Crock Pot Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Skinny Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ cup grated onion
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (affiliate link)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 1 teaspoon jarred)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup cream (or evaporated milk)
Instructions
- Ideal slow cooker size: 4-Quart.
- Add the canned pumpkin, onion, broth, cheese, garlic, sage, salt and paper to the slow cooker. Stir well. (The mixture will be thick but will thin during cooking.)
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 - 8 hours, or until the onion is translucent and the mixture has thinned.
- When ready to serve, stir the cream into the sauce.
- Toss the sauce with the hot pasta of your choice. (I've used both ravioli and penne with good results.)
- Sprinkle with a bit more cheese at the table if you like.
Recipe Notes
Source: 365 Slow Cooker Suppers (affiliate link) by Stephanie O'Dea
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Weight Watchers Friendly Pumpkin Recipes
- Veggie Pumpkin Chili (HungryGirl)
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (SkinnyKitchen)
- Pumpkin Butter (SkinnyTaste)
- Pumpkin Enchiladas (HungryGirl)
WW Friendly Slow Cooker eCookbook...
This recipe from Everyday Food shows another way to make penne pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce on the stovetop:
Search For More Easy & Healthy Crock Pot Recipes
HOW DO YOU WIN THIS SLOW COOKER?
Giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner: Nancy Feely! Your slow cooker has been shipped to you via Amazon. Enjoy!
All you have to do is leave a comment here between now and Monday, October 5th telling us which of Our Slow Cooker Recipes you want to make with the Cuisinart Slow Cooker if you should win it.
Bonus Entries:
Pin – ANY of our Recipes on Pinterest – Make a comment here for EACH that you pin.Share this Giveaway on your Facebook page – Make a comment you did.
The giveaway is open to US residents ages 18+. Only comments on this blog post will count as a method of entry.
The giveaway will end on 10/05/15 at 11:59 pm PT. We will randomly select 1 winner.
The winner will be notified by email, so be sure to use an email that you check frequently. I'll announce the winner by the following Wednesday (10/7/15), who will have 2 days to reply, at which point another winner will be selected.
The winner must be a resident of the United States and the prize must ship to a U.S. address.
This giveaway is provided by Simple Nourished Living.
Thank you for reading Simple Nourished Living! Good Luck!!
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This giveaway is sponsored by Simple Nourished Living. Awarded prize may differ slightly (color, design, etc.) from images that appear here - based on availability. Giveaway prizes may be forfeited if not claimed within 90 days.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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nancy feeley
Hi! I am a newly single Mom who works full time outside of the home. My daughter and I struggle with our weight I especially have had a difficult time during my seperation and divorce.
This Crock pot would be a GOD send. I really can't afford to go out and get this for meself right now and the programable feature is a must for someone who works outside of the house. It would really enable me to set up some healthy habits for my daughter and I! preparing the meals to go in the crockput would be a great way for us to spend time together and begin to heal from my divorce while getting healthy at the same time!
All of the recipes sound amazing but I would like to try Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing first. I want to teach my daughter that you can have all her favorites but in a healthy way! Thansk!!
Paula M
You can't go wrong with the crockpot! I love cooking meatballs or chili in the crockpot. Even stew beef is great!
Lisa Bontsas
I would like to make the Easy Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Casserole!
Denise Wisely
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Dee Lubbehusen
My favorite is the Chicken Vegetable Soup
CorinneFish
I'm going for the pumpkin pasta and will try it with butternut squash as well
Laura
Can't wait to try the chuck wagon chili!
Debbie S.
This pumpkin sauce looks great!
Linda Wood
I would love to try the Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, potato soup, Slow Cooker Bean & Cabbage Soup, really, any of your recipes. I've tried a few & love them all! About me: I am a widow (since February), started Weight Watchers in May, have lost 25 pounds & am trying to find my way through life alone. I enjoy your weekly menu planning newsletter. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
Ernie Courtemanche
I would like to try the Italian chicken recipe as well as the corn bread recipe !
Andrea Haskins
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Joan Kubes
There are a few I'd like to try. I'll pin them for later 🙂 The first is the SLOW COOKER CREOLE WHITE BEANS AND CHICKEN.
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157143293/
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157143346/
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157143361/
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157143373/
Missi Priest
Pumpkin black bean chiki!
Laura Stuerman
I love the recipes that I have tried. I would like to use the slow cooker and make your 3 packet roast.
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157168025/
Joan Kubes
I pinned https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312085449157168035/