Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta

Name: Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta
Total time: 1800 s
Yield: 8 to 10 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 pound penne or rotini pasta (or your preferred pasta type); 1 pound sweet Italian sausage; 1 medium-sized sweet onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup white wine; 6 leaves fresh sage, sliced thinly; 1 bay leaf; 1 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling); 1 cup chicken stock; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/3 cup heavy cream; Salt and pepper to taste; Olive oil for sautéing (about 1 to 2 Tablespoons); Parmesan cheese or your cheese of choice for topping

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

Is it Fall yet? Time to add pumpkin to ALL the things! 🤪. Well, actually, you won’t regret adding it to this hearty pasta dish. It’s savory, filling, and a good way to warm up when it gets blustery outside.
There are a crazy number of similar recipes floating around, but best I can tell, Rachel Ray popularized it around 2004. I used her version as a starting point.

Chris Gan @ChrissyAlpha

Saved

Ingredients

~30 minutes

8 to 10 people

3/4 poundpenne or rotini pasta (or your preferred pasta type)
1 poundsweet Italian sausage
1medium-sized sweet onion, finely chopped
4 clovesgarlic, minced
1 cupwhite wine
6 leavesfresh sage, sliced thinly
1bay leaf
1 cupcanned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cupchicken stock
1/2 teaspoonground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoonground cinnamon
1/3 cupheavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for sautéing (about 1 to 2 Tablespoons)
Parmesan cheese or your cheese of choice for topping

Saved

Steps

~30 minutes

1

Crumble the sausage and fry in a few teaspoons of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat until completely cooked and browned. Drain grease and spread sausage onto some paper towels to absorb additional grease.
2

Sauté the chopped onion in a few teaspoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent (~3 or 4 minutes).
Add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
3

Add the sage, bay leaf, and white wine. Simmer until the volume has been reduced by half (~2 to 4 minutes)
4

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, spices, and chicken broth.
5

Add the pumpkin mixture to the pan along with the sausage. Stir well, reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
6

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.
7

Drizzle the cream into the mixture and stir well. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes.
8

Add the pasta and toss well to distribute the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
9

Serve topped with grated cheese, if desired.
10

Notes:
🍂. If you prefer a spicier dish, use spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet. Adding some red pepper flakes will also increase the heat.
🍂. Adding some kale or spinach is a nice way to boost the nutritional content of this dish and also add some color! Toss it in towards the end of the cooking time as the sauce simmers.