Pasta in Pumpkin-Sausage Cream Sauce

Pumpkin is widely used in Northern Italian cooking. This dish is made with a savory pumpkin-sage cream sauce combined with Italian sausage and pasta. It's surprisingly good and sure to please.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil - divided use
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bay leaf
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup canned solid pumpkin purée
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces penne rigate, cooked al dente
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, for garnish (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until nicely browned. Remove sausage from pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the excess drippings from skillet and add the remaining tablespoon oil, and sauté the onion for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
2. Add the garlic, bay leaf and sage to the pan, cook for 30 seconds and then add the wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and pumpkin, stirring constantly until sauce comes to a boil. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Simmer for a 3 to 4 minutes more.
3. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and heat for an additional 1 minute over low heat, tossing gently until pasta is nicely coated with sauce.
4. Serve with Parmesan cheese and garnish with additional sage leaves, if desired.

Make 4 servings.

Recipe by Hope Cantil; copyright © 1999; property of CooksRecipes.com. See Terms of Use.