Everyone has their own standards for comfort food. Some may love dairy-free chocolate, gluten-free desserts, ice cream or whole food frostings. While I am definitely on board with all of the naturally sweetened treats, when it comes to savoury dishes I adore anything I can pile into a bowl and slurp with noodles – and extra points if it’s quick and easy. Sometimes I’ll make a recipe-free dinner bowl, but if I’m short on time and want to enjoy a delicious, soothing meal right away that’s where these creamy gluten-free pumpkin noodles fit the bill.
Winter squashes like pumpkin are the perfect autumn comfort food: they have that starchy, potato-like quality but are packed with anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting nutrients like Vitamins A and C, as well as zinc. (For a full rundown on winter squashes, check out this guide and then meander over to these 6 Ways to Use Pumpkin and these Top 20 Winter Squash Recipes for inspiration.)
What I love in particular about this recipe is how customizable it is based on your preferences and what you may have lying around in your fridge. The base of this recipe is pumpkin, coconut milk, almond butter, curry powder and noodles, but you can easily make some swaps including:
No coconut milk? Try almond milk, cashew milk or sesame milk.
Allergic to nuts? Use tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Currently grain-free? Sub in zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash (double squash power!), or legume-based pastas.
Hate curry powder? Try nutritional yeast, roasted garlic, thyme + rosemary, basil + oregano, plain ‘ol salt and pepper, or whatever herb and spice combos you love (or have in your pantry). I personally used the homemade curry powder recipe from the culinary nutrition expert program condiments module – once you make your own, it’s hard to go back to store-bought!
Homemade pumpkin puree is easy to make. You’ll need to grab yourself a pumpkin first – I like to use smaller ones as they’re much easier to wrangle and slice. Once you’ve got your pumpkin:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut your pumpkin in halves or quarters, depending on the size.
Place the pieces cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. You can brush a bit of heat-safe oil onto the halves if you’d like.
Roast for 45 minutes or so, until the flesh is soft and tender.
When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and mash it, or toss it into your food processor if you don’t feel like mashing it by hand.
I recommend making pumpkin puree in large batches and freezing it so you’ll have it on hand as needed. Of course, if you want to make this recipe for creamy pumpkin gluten-free noodles and don’t have time to make puree, opt for store-bought pumpkin puree in BPA-free cans or containers to cut down on those endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
I hope this recipe brings you as much comfort as it does to me. Happy slurping!
4 servings rice noodles, vermicelli noodles, zucchini noodles or any noodle of choice!
Instructions
In a small pot, mix the puree, coconut milk, almond butter, curry powder and salt. Cover the pot and heat it for about 6-8 minutes, until it is gently simmering. Stir every few minutes to ensure nothing is sticking to the pot.
While the sauce is heating, prepare your noodles. In this recipe, I used brown rice vermicelli – all I needed to do is boil a kettle of water and pour it over the noodles and wait a few minutes for them to soften.
Add the spinach, turn off the heat and stir. Cover the pot again and let the spinach wilt for a minute.
Drain the noodles and add them to the pot with the sauce. Stir everything well.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed before serving.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:10 mins
Category:Main
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