Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta with Sage & Brown Butter

Name: Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta with Sage & Brown Butter
Prep time: 10
Cook time: 25
Total time: 35
Yield: 1
Ingredients: pasta (rigatoni, penne, or shells); olive oil; package The Sausage Project Italian Herb Chicken Sausage, sliced into coins; butter; fresh sage leaves (approximately 1 package), chopped; garlic cloves, minced; red onion, diced; 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (or roasted butternut squash purée); chicken broth or reserved pasta water; heavy cream; kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; red pepper flakes (optional); grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Servings: 1

Dinner

Italian Herb

Pumpkin spice might be the flavor of the month (and maybe the century), but just read the label: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves. Conspicuously absent? Pumpkin.

Not today, PSL. Today the gourd gets the lead role, and it doesn’t need a pie crust to play it.

This creamy pumpkin pasta starts with a can of pumpkin purée and ends, 35 minutes later, as a sauce that clings to every ridge of rigatoni. Sage-infused brown butter makes it nutty and fragrant, while Italian Herb Chicken Sausage brings the savory side and a kick of Calabrian chili. It’s the flavor equivalent of jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves, minus the raking.

Pro tip: This recipe also works beautifully with roasted butternut squash purée—but until someone invents butternut squash spice, we’re rooting for pumpkin to retake its throne.

Chef’s kiss: Add a handful of spinach or kale for extra greens, or top with toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds for a perfect crunch.

See Recipe

A bowl of pumpkin pasta made with The Sausage Project Italian Herb Chicken Sausage.

A pot of pumpkin pasta made with The Sausage Project Italian Herb Chicken Sausage.

SERVING MULTIPLIER:

Ingredients

11 ounces pasta (rigatoni, penne, or shells)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 package The Sausage Project Italian Herb Chicken Sausage, sliced into coins

4 tablespoons butter

20 fresh sage leaves (approximately 1 package), chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small red onion, diced

1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (or roasted butternut squash purée)

⅔ cup chicken broth or reserved pasta water

⅔ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Servings: 1

Cook the pasta: Boil your favorite pasta (we prefer rigatoni) in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain.

Brown the sausage: While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken sausage for about 6 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown. Remove sausage from the pan and set it aside.

Make the sage brown butter: Add butter to the same skillet. Let it melt and foam, then add the chopped sage leaves. Cook, whisking often, until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, 2-3 minutes. Spoon out a few tablespoons of the fried sage and brown butter and set aside for garnish.

Build the sauce: Into the browned butter, add onion and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Finally, stir in the pumpkin purée, chicken broth, or pasta water,; then the cream, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened, then turn off the heat.

Combine and serve: Add the cooked pasta, browned sausage, and Parmesan, stirring until coated. Adjust consistency with pasta water if needed. Taste and season with salt, then divide among bowls and spoon the reserved brown butter and crispy sage over the top. Finish with extra Parmesan and serve immediately.

tags: Healthy Mediterranean Pasta Pumpkin