Creamy Pumpkin & Sausage Sage Pasta

Fall has arrived and brought with it a fantastic selection of new fruits and vegetables for us to enjoy. I am now buying apples, pears, greens, and pumpkin each and every shopping trip and am thoroughly enjoying creating new fall recipes with these ingredients. I love summer, but nothing inspires a cook more than having a whole unique selection of produce to play with! In Umbria, we do not have the large selection of winter squash that I am used to back in North America, but as soon as the cool weather is here, zucca (pumpkin) can be found in every grocery store or outdoor market.

Since there is no such thing as canned pumpkin in Italy, I often buy it fresh and roast it, puree it, and then use it for my dessert recipes. When I want to include pumpkin in savory recipes, I often roast it until it is tender, then fold it into risotto or pasta dishes. In this recipe, I used my favorite skillet to cook the sauce from start to finish in the time it took to bring the pasta water to boil, then cook the pasta.

This pasta combines pumpkin that I cooked and sautéed sausage, onions, and garlic all in one skillet. The combination is flavored with fresh sage, then I add heavy cream to create a creamy sauce that melds all the ingredients into a very flavorful sauce.

You can use butternut squash or pumpkin in this recipe, and the sauce works on just about every pasta type, although I chose to use ziti. I’ll be honest, I made this pasta while my husband was away, even though my plan was to eat very lightly while he was gone to try and lose a few pounds.

I had excellent intentions of simply tasting this pasta after making it and then discarding the rest. However, this pasta was so tasty that it ended up being my dinner three days in a row. NOT a great dish to make when you are dieting, but truly delicious!

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Creamy Pumpkin & Sausage Sage Pasta

Creamy Pumpkin & Sausage Sage Pasta

Yield: Serves 4 - 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes

A creamy pasta sauce made with pumpkin and sausage for fall entertaining.

Ingredients

  • 1 Pound Pasta of Choice
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive OIl
  • 1 Pound Fresh Pumpkin, Cut Into 3/4-inch Cubes
  • 3/4 Pound Italian Sausage, Removed From The Casing
  • 1 Medium Onion, Peeled & Chopped
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, Peeled & Minced
  • 4 Sage Leaves, Finely Chopped
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt & Pepper to Taste

To Serve:

  • Shaved Parmesan
  • Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions

  1. Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
  2. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, then add the pumpkin and sausages.
  4. Cook, breaking up the sausage into bite-size pieces, for 8 mins, or until the sausage and pumpkin are beginning to brown.
  5. Add the onion, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir in the cream and grated cheese, cook for about 3 minutes until thickened, then remove from the heat.
  7. Season with salt and pepper, then add to the pasta along with enough pasta water to loosen as needed.
  8. Cook briefly, stirring constantly over high heat until piping hot.
  9. Serve in individual pasta bowls topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 608Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 884mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 24g

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4 Comments

      1. It would be very helpful if you could list calories in your recipe. I need to watch them. Thanks.

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