Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

This pasta… omg, I’m so in love with this pasta. I think I could have it once a week for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.

Now for the bad news. It’s a Rachael Ray recipe. Excuse me while I eat every bad word I’ve ever said about her recipes. This has restored my faith in her so much that I’ve actually got another one of her recipes on tomorrow’s meal plan. Crazy or what?

But I will say that the whole “three turns around the pan” thing still makes me want to scream. If you put 1/2 cup, just leave it as that. I don’t mind washing an extra measuring cup. Okay, thanks.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
from: Food Network

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup  heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Heat a large, deep 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.

Return 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.

Tags: pasta, pumpkin