Name: Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, (divided); 16 ounces sweet Italian sausage, (crumbled apart); 4 cloves garlic, (minced); 1 medium onion, (finely chopped); 1 whole bay leaf; 2 tablespoons fresh sage, (cut into thin strips); 1 cup dry white wine; 1 cup chicken broth; 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree; ½ cup heavy whipping cream ((can sub regular or fat free)); ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 16 ounces penne pasta, (cooked to al dente); Parmesan cheese, (for serving)

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

Fall is such a fun season for both cooking and baking. It’s pumpkin and apple season, and it’s such fun to use these goodies in as many recipes as possible in these few months of fall.

In this recipe, we use pumpkin. Specifically, we’re using unsweetened pumpkin puree- the canned kind is totally fine. Pumpkin puree added to this pasta doesn’t give it a pumpkin flavor. Don’t worry about pumpkin flavor because that would be WEIRD! The pumpkin puree just gives it a velvety texture that is nice for a pasta sauce.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage, topped with shredded Parmesan cheese

You can see from the photos that this Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage is not drowning in sauce. This is a good thing. You want your pasta to be coated with sauce, but being completely smothered in sauce is not so desirable.

Sweet Italian sausage is a good mix with the pumpkin sauce too. And fresh sage is my favorite. The flavors are great! And I love adding some freshly grated Parmesan on top.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage in serving dishes

Plan to make this for for one of your dinners this fall. Everyone will love it!

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining Tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
Add bay leaf, sage and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Returned drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.