Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin Cream Sauce

As soon as the first leaf falls every year, my family begs me to break out this recipe. It is the perfect fall pasta dish with pumpkin and sausage... creamy and comforting and delicious!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 889 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• ¾ cup half-and-half
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 ¼ cups dry white wine
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (16 ounce) package bow-tie pasta
• 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 1 ½ tablespoons rubbed sage

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow-tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a deep, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain and discard grease.

Step 3

Heat teaspoon oil in the skillet. Add onion and garlic; saute until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta and return to the pot.

Step 4

Add wine and sage to the skillet. Simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and pumpkin; stir until sauce starts to bubble. Return sausage to the skillet. Reduce heat and stir in half-and-half. Season sauce with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer until sauce thickens, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 5

Pour pumpkin cream sauce over the pasta. Toss over low heat for 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasoning.