Last fall I made so many things with pumpkin I swore I would never make another pumpkin recipe! BUT! If it’s paired with pasta…
Anything pasta speaks directly to me
It actually shouts, make me! Try me! Eat me!
So as I started reading pasta recipes with pumpkin this and that, it started to appeal, cool weather comfort food…
This is the best recipe I have made in a while!
Yep, it is one of those rock star recipes!
Even if you don’t like pumpkin, I promise you will enjoy this, it smells soooo good.
The Parmesan cheese and sausage cut the sweetness of the pumpkin, and it bakes into a creamy dish full of unexpected flavors.
Such a tasty change from predictable pasta dishes…
The pumpkin sauce is amazing!
You can make this ahead of time, up to 2 days! And it’s so easy!
Then bake and enjoy!
Serve it with some Everything topped French bread
Here’s the recipe:
PUMPKIN ALFREDO PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND HAM
Ingredients
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage
- 2 big slices spiral sliced ham [use your leftover holiday ham!]
- 8 oz. penne rigatoni, or any tubular pasta
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream or heavy cream divided
- 1 cup canned pumpkin [not pumpkin pie filling]
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 4 oz. freshly grated Parmesan or Italian blend cheese, divided
Instructions
- Remove casing from sausage and brown, crumble and drain.
- Saute onion in reserved sausage drippings and 1 T butter. When onion has caramelized, after 15-20 minutes, add ham and cook for a few minutes.
- Add sausage back to skillet and set aside.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water until just barely done. Drain and put into a greased 2 quart baking dish.
- Top with meat mixture.
- Using the same skillet you cooked the onion and meats, combine pumpkin, chicken broth and 3/4 cup cream. Simmer over medium low heat, stirring to combine.
- Add cinnamon and nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Add half of the cheese and stir to melt.
- Stir most of the remaining cheese into meat and pasta mixture, reserving some cheese for garnish after baking
- Pour sauce over pasta and meat in casserole and gently toss to combine. Drizzle with reserved 1/2 and 1/2.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Bake covered at 300 for one hour. Garnish with remaining cheese. Serves 6.
Notes
I hope you’ll put this on your “to try soon” list! Let me know if you like it!
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