The Canned Ingredient To Give Your Vodka Sauce A Taste Of Fall

The calendar indicates that autumn is upon us, but many people dealing with unseasonal weather, from heat waves to torrential downpours, are yearning for fall to come in earnest. If mother nature doesn't do her part in providing sweater weather, we can at least bring autumn to the kitchen. Incorporating harvest flavors into our favorite dishes is a delicious way to usher in a new season, and there's a canned ingredient that makes it easy to serve up a taste of fall.

Living in the age of advanced agriculture means that you can almost always find the products you want, even if it's out of season. To experience the full flavor and nutritional value of the food on your plate, Healthline suggests eating seasonally to get the most out of your meal. Eating what's in season not only benefits your palate and body, it's a sustainable way of eating that supports local farmers and encourages grocers to up their game on the produce aisle. The farmer's market is great for seasonal finds, or you can look for "local" signs at the neighborhood grocery store.

Fall provides a bounty of delicious seasonal foods like root vegetables, potatoes, and hard-skinned squash. Pumpkins, butternut squash, and other gourds are the darlings of fall flavors, and Almanac notes that in addition to providing signature fall flavors, they are also a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carotenoids. If you're sick of sweet pumpkin spice on everything, try a savory twist with this fall favorite.

It's time to give a new purpose to that can of pumpkin sitting in the back of the pantry waiting patiently for Thanksgiving dinner. According to Today, the rich, velvety texture of pumpkin begs to be made into a sauce.  And, popping open a can of pureed pumpkin adds a great twist to any mid-week meal or can even elevate a casual dinner party pasta dish.

Combining creamy pumpkin with the tangy bite of vodka tomato sauce provides a layer of fall flavor that will make diners come back for seconds. Tucking into a warm bowl of pasta is the stuff that autumn meals were meant for, and the addition of classic fall herbs like rosemary or thyme, basil, and parsley really pair well with this hard-skinned squash, according to Happy Muncher.

Adding canned pumpkin to pasta sauce is a great way to sneak in a serving of veggies and up the nutritional content for a healthful meal that really satisfies. Diners won't be able to put their finger on the secret ingredient, but they also won't be able to put their forks down. Say goodbye to the pie and pass the pumpkin pasta, please.