Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

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Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce | Healthy-delicious.com Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce | Healthy-delicious.com

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.

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce 8

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 9

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce 10

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces Perciatelli Bucatini, or Spaghetti
  • 4 ounces Sweet Italian Saugage crumbled
  • 2 cups low sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1 can Pumpkin Puree
  • ¼ cup Fat Free Half and Half
  • 2 ounces Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano grated
  • ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
  • 2 cups Arugula
  • Black Pepper

Instructions

  • 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.
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lauren

Hi, I'm Lauren!

I'm a certified plant-based cook and enthusiastic omnivore who loves looking for creative ways to make weeknight meals more nutritious. I'm the author of Heathy Eating One Pot Cookbook and Healthy Meal Prep Slow Cooker Cookbook. I also blog at The Busy Foodie. Read more...

 

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