Tis' the season for Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta! Pumpkin is a versatile ingredient that can be used in breads, muffins, beer, pies, chili and pasta! Just the taste of pumpkin is comforting! It is an iconic fall flavor and when we start to eat pumpkin-inspired dishes we are usually enjoying the color change of the leaves, bonfires, tailgating, and cider mills. If you have always played it pumpkin safe I encourage you to push past that comfort zone and whip up some Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta!
Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked penne pasta (reserve 1/8 cup of pasta water after noodles are strained)
1/2 lb of Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
2 cups fresh mushroom
1/2 medium sweet onion, sliced
4 cups of fresh spinach
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1.5 cup no-sodium chicken stock
1 15 oz. can 100% pure pumpkin
1/2 cup white wine or additional chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/8 cup of pasta water.
2. Brown sausage in skillet. Drain any grease. Set sausage aside.
3. In skillet heat oil and garlic until fragrant. Add onion and saute 8-10 minutes. Add
mushroom and saute another 5 minutes or until onions and mushrooms are soft.
4. Add sausage to onion and mushroom saute. Stir in chicken stock, pumpkin, wine, sage,
garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered,
for approximately 10 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach to sauce, stir occasionally,
and allow spinach to wilt.
5. Combine noodles, sauce, and 1/8 of the reserved pasta water together. Stir in grated
parmesan cheese. Garnish with chopped parsley and additional parmesan cheese.
Mangia! Mangia! (Eat, Eat)
*The starch in the reserved water helps the sauce bind to the noodles. This trick can be used for all
pasta dishes.
*I highly recommend buying a good block of parmesan cheese and grating it by hand for this recipe.
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| Step 3, before spinach |
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| Step 3, after spinach |
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| Step 5 |
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| Finished Product! |
This Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta will not disappoint. If you have picky eaters who may turn their nose at the though of pumpkin in their pasta don't even tell them its a main ingredient! The pumpkin flavor is subtle enough that they may not even realize it is there! Cheers to a happy pumpkin season!
