Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
| November 5, 2012 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Fall, Indulge, Italian, Pasta and Noodles, Quick Weeknight Meals |
This is one of those super simple dinners that started out as a vague idea and ended up as a complete masterpiece.
I went to the store knowing only that I wanted to make something with pasta and canned pumpkin. I picked up a few basic ingredients like broth and arugula and a few new-to-me items like grana padano, a hard, nutty cheese that’s a little milder than parmisiano reggiano, and perciatelli, a delightfully squishy pasta that’s like bucatini’s thinner cousin, and started playing. The result was a quick (20 minutes, most of which is spent waiting for water to boil) dinner that’s perfect as a satisfying dinner for one, a romantic dinner for two, or a crowd pleaser for an impromptu dinner party.
This pasta is perfect on a cold night. It’s blanketed with a rich (yet light!) cream sauce that has a subtly sweet pumpkin flavor that’s balanced out with peppery arugula. The sausage was last minute addition, but a very welcome one that made a small portion seem more like a meal. You can leave it out if you’d like, but I definitely recommend keeping it in.
As with most simple dishes, the individual ingredients in this really stand out so use the best quality that you can afford. Even just a few cents more for high quality pasta and a sausage or two from the butcher case instead of the freezer will make a world of difference in the final result. No parmesan from a can, ok?
Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Perciatelli, Bucatini, or Spaghetti
- 4 ounces Sweet Italian Saugage, crumbled
- 2 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 can Pumpkin Puree
- 1/4 cup Fat Free Half and Half
- 2 ounces Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 2 cups Arugula
- Black Pepper
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, then add pasta. Cook 7 minutes, or as directed by the package. Drain.
- Cook the sausage in a large, deep-sided saute pan over medium-high heat until just browned, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and pumpkin. Whisk to combine, then bring to a simmer. Let cook 5 minutes. Stir in the half and half and 1 ounce cheese. Season to taste with crushed red pepper. Remove from heat and add the cooked pasta and arugula. Stir until arugula is wilted, about 1 minute.
- Divide pasta between four plates. Top each portion with remaining cheese and black pepper.
I’ve linked up this recipe over at Eats Well With Others to celebrate 12 Weeks of Winter Squash
I love it when spur-of-the-moment dishes turn out GREAT. Pumpkin cream = swoon.
This looks like a bowl full of heaven – yummmmm!
This looks so good. And I LOVE bucatini!
My mouth started watering as soon as I read your recipe title! Yum, can’t wait to try this!!!
I love any sort of squash with Sweet Italian Sausage…that is absolutely one of my favorite combos. But I love your use of arugula to give it a bit of that peppery flavor and the grana padana. Just yum!
This is a lovely and delicious looking fall dish. I like using pumpkin/winter squash with pasta.
Looks so delicious and healthy! Making this next week! Yum yum!
This looks amazing! I love pumpkin in savory dishes…and I love carbs even more!
This sounds lovely! I love an excuse to put pumpkin in my food and a savory dish is a nice change.
I can look at a recipe and know I love it. And, I love it.
this wab site is lovely