SOMETHING SIMPLE: Spicy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta
Celebrate the flavors of fall with this comforting one-pot dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. hot (or mild) Italian sausage
- ¾ cup thinly sliced shallots
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1 ¼ tsp. sea salt, divided
- 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
- 3 tbs. chopped fresh sage
- 1 lb. orecchiette or other short pasta
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3 oz. grated Parmesan, plus more to garnish
Directions
STEP 1
Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
STEP 2
Cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about eight to 10 minutes.
STEP 3
Remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
STEP 4
Add the shallots to the pot with a splash of water to deglaze the brown bits. Turn the heat to medium-low, add ½ teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots become soft and translucent, about five to seven minutes.
STEP 5
Add the pumpkin, sage, remaining water, and remaining salt to the pot, and stir to incorporate.
STEP 6
Raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain an active simmer.
STEP 7
Add the pasta and cover the pot.
STEP 8
Allow to cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the pasta is just short of al dente, removing the lid to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking.
STEP 9
Add the sausage and spinach and cook for one to two minutes more.
STEP 10
Remove the pot from the heat and add the nutmeg, then stir in the Parmesan a bit at a time until incorporated.
STEP 11
Add more salt to taste and serve with extra Parmesan for garnish.
Pick Your Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin is packed with a variety of health-supporting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and it also adds a silky richness to this pasta sauce. Be sure to choose a brand that tastes good to you, ideally with few added ingredients.
Photography: Terry Brennan; Food Styling: Betsy Nelson
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Kaelyn Riley is an Experience Life senior editor.
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This Post Has One Comment
That sounds like a terrific recipe to me, I have used a very similar recipe in the past using spaghetti sauce instead of canned pumpkin! I’ll have to give this a try sometime.