Boursin Pasta with Pumpkin and Brown Butter

This boursin pasta with pumpkin and brown butter is an Autumn twist on the viral tiktok baked boursin pasta. Fresh cooked pasta, creamy boursin cheese, sage, garlic, pumpkin, and brown butter come together to create the most delicious and creamy pasta sauce of all time.

Viral Tiktok Baked Boursin Pasta

Have you heard of baked feta pasta? The original baked feta pasta is a recipe by Liemessä. The recipe went viral over and over again and has had so many variations created. After I made the original baked feta pasta, I made a baked spanakopita pasta which was heavily inspired by the original and Liemessa even made it once and credited me! I was so thrilled that day!

Fast forward a few years and I saw shewillevolve posted a Baked Boursin Pasta recipe on tiktok inspired by Baked Feta Pasta and I knew I needed to try my own twist on it. Her original boursin pasta bake recipe used grape tomatoes, garlic, boursin cheese, herbs, and spices. I made her recipe and put a “tomato basil” spin on that recipe, which you can view here – Tomato Basil Boursin Pasta.

After making that recipe I have been thinking of new ways to incorporate boursin and pasta, so I decided to make a Fall inspired version using boursin, brown butter, pumpkin puree, and fried sage. This dish came out absolutely heavenly.

Creamy Boursin Pasta with Pumpkin and Brown Butter

Boursin is a super creamy cheese, almost like cream cheese but since it is French it feels a bit more luxurious. I like using boursin cheese instead of heavy cream because it already has a nice thickness to it. A lot of creamy and cheesy pasta sauces use a roux, and while you can do that, I find using boursin cheese as a pasta sauce is a lot easier and faster. Also, the boursin cheese has a delicious garlic and herb flavor so that is also a reason why it is a great time saver.

I made this creamy boursin pasta sauce on my stove top in a large pan. First, I cooked the butter, getting it slightly brown to create the most magical flavor. If you have never browned butter before, do it slowly on low or medium low heat. Give the butter a good stir every now and then so that it browns evenly. Then, I crisped up the sage leaves and removed them so that I can use them as a topping.

Next, I put the boursin cheese (whole) into the center of the pan, followed by the the garlic and I let the garlic cook into that brown butter for about 2 minutes. Then, I added the broth and the pumpkin puree. I carefully stirred the pumpkin and garlic around and then I put the cover on the pan. I let it all heat up together on medium/low heat for about about 7 minutes. At this point the boursin cheese should be heated through. Turn off the heat and mix everything together. I like to use a silicone spatula for this so you can mix it all really well but also scrape the sides of the pan for anything extra.

Finally, add your boiled pasta to the sauce and top with the fried sage leaves. Alternately, you can crumble up the sage and mix it in to the sauce.

What is Boursin Cheese?

Boursin is very similar to American cream cheese. It is a mix of fresh cream and soft cheese that is then flavored with different herbs, spices, and sometimes garlic.

Boursin is not the type of cheese you would use on nachos because it doesn’t have a melty effect, but it is totally the type of cheese you can add to sauces, soups, or toast because if its “easily blended” ability. You can find Boursin in most grocery stores, but I find that Trader Joe’s has the best price for it.

Using boursin cheese in a pasta sauce creates a creamy and super flavorful sauce. The cheese is already seasoned with garlic and herbs and there is just a good amount of salt in there. I always add additional spices and garlic because I always love extra garlic.

How to make Boursin Pasta with Pumpkin and Brown Butter

INGREDIENTS  

• 3 tbsp Salted Butter
• 6 Sage Leaves
• 1 Boursin Cheese garlic and herb
• 3 cloves Garlic minced
• 1/2 cup Broth I used chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 6-8 oz Pasta cooked in salted water
• grated parmesan optional
• black pepper optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Start boiling your water for your pasta and add 1 tsp of salt to the water.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet that has a cover to it. You will use the cover to help melt the boursin cheese without burning it.
• Once the butter is melted, add in your sage leaves and cook until the leaves start to brown. Then remove the leaves and set aside.
• Add pasta to the boiling water.
• Add your boursin cheese to the center of the pan and then add in your minced garlic and chicken broth. Mix it around and then add the pumpkin puree.
• Stir around the garlic, broth, and pumpkin puree without moving the cheese and then cover the pan. Set the heat on medium low heat and cook until the cheese is easy to stir. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir the sauce with a silicone spatula until it is fully incorporated. Add your drained pasta to your sauce, top with sage leaves, or you can crumble the sage leaves on top. Enjoy!