Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta

Nick was in charge of making dinner last week, which is great for two reasons: 1) I can relax, watch TV and blog a bit, and 2) he is a good cook!  Nick wanted to capitalize on the available fall flavors, and after a bit of searching came across an Autumn Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage that sounded delicious.  So, while I was lounging, Nick got to work!

Dinner is Served!

The Necessities...

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage link (out of the casing)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 -6 sprigs fresh sage, chiffonade
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb penne (with ridges) 
• grated Parmesan cheese

To begin, Nick removed the sausage from its casing and put it in a skillet over medium to hot heat.  Once it was fully cooked, he removed it from the heat and put it on a plate lined with paper towels, which allowed some of the fat to drain.

Cooking the sausage...

While the sausage was cooking, Nick chopped up the onion and sage.

All Chopped Up

Nick tossed the onions, garlic and some olive oil into the skillet with the small amount of sausage fat that remained and let it cook up until it was tender - about 3-5 minutes.

Tenderizing the Onions

Some Dry White

Once tender, Nick added the sage and white wine, and allowed the wine to reduce by half.

Getting the white wine saucy!

Once it halved, he added the pumpkin and the stock.

With some pumpkin

When the mixture started to bubble and boil, Nick added the sausage back in, reduced the heat, and added the cream.  Finally he seasoned it with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes so the flavors could all come together.

Thickening up

All that was left was to toss the pasta into the sauce and serve - oh, and of course top with some grated cheese!

Yum!

This was a delicious dinner that was warm and comforting!  The pumpkin in the dish was flavorful but not overpowering.  The nutmeg and cinnamon really shined through in each bite.  Even better, I did not have to lift a finger to make it, but I promise that I did clean it up.

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