Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta
on Sep 20, 2018, Updated Sep 10, 2024
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Rich and creamy Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta made with ground sausage, pumpkin puree, garlic, sage, and lots of Parmesan cheese – comfort food at its best.
Pumpkin puree in savory dishes is one of my all-time favorite ways to use the stuff! I feel like we think pumpkin recipes and we go straight to those yummy pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread. I’m here to convert you to pumpkin in every dish, all day long, including dinner!
Pumpkin puree is magical if you ask me. It’s nutritious, inexpensive, easy to find, and easy to use. It adds beautiful color, a subtle sweetness, and a rich creaminess to dishes. One of my favorite ways to use pumpkin is with pasta! When the dish is made, the pasta looks super cheesy and tastes extra rich. But the secret is the pumpkin puree. The sausage, sage, and just a bit of cream and Parmesan make this pasta dish a favorite.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fall Flavors: Sage and pumpkin are delicious together. Something about the combination just screams all the savory flavors of fall.
- Creaminess: The pumpkin puree adds a creaminess to the sauce without having to add a lot of dairy.
- Colorful: The pumpkin puree gives it a beautiful hint of orange. Even picky eaters won’t notice that it’s not ultra cheesy.
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Ground Sausage
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sage Leaves
- Chicken Broth
- Pumpkin Puree
- Cream
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, optional
- Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Sage and Pumpkin Pasta
Step #1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve one cup of pasta water.
Step #3. Stir in the chicken broth and cook until the onion is tender. Add the pumpkin and cream, reduce heat to low then stir in the Parmesan.
Step #2. Brown the sausage in the pan for several minutes, then add the onion. Continue to cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sage and cook until fragrant.
Step #4. Stir the pasta into the sauce mixture. Add reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Remove from the heat and serve with additional salt, pepper, and Parmesan as desired.
I like to use a sturdy pasta like Orecchiette, Rigatoni, or even Bow-Tie. Chubby big pasta pieces work well with the ground sausage.
You have a lot of freedom when it comes to what sausage you use. You can use hot Italian, sweet Italian, pork breakfast sausage, and just about anything in between. Just be sure it’s a ground sausage and remove any casing before cooking.
Expert Tips
- I like sage but I don’t love it, so I added 2 leaves. If you know you love it, add the full 4. If you are somewhere in the middle, try three.
- To speed up the cooking time, you can cook the pasta in a separate pan and start making the sauce in a second pan while the pasta cooks. You can save on time or dishes, but not both. 🙂 I love this saute’ pan if you are in the market.
- Don’t Overcook the Pasta. Cook until just al dente so it holds up well in the creamy pumpkin sauce.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
Muffin Recipes
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin
40 Fall Pumpkin Recipes
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
How to Cook Pumpkin in the Instant Pot
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Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 pound ground sausage
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic. minced
- 2-4 sage leaves, finely chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 15- ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
- 2 ounces grated Parmesan
- additional salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large saute pan according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the sausage and cook over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the sausage is no longer pink and the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic and minced sage and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth and cook until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the pumpkin and cream and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to coat it well with sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce. The sauce should coat the pasta easily.
- When the pasta is hot, remove the pan from the heat. Serve the pasta hot with additional salt, pepper, and Parmesan to taste.
Notes
- I like sage but I don’t love it, so I added 2 leaves. If you know you love it, add the full 4. If you are somewhere in the middle, try three.
- You have a lot of freedom when it comes to what sausage to use. You can use hot Italian, sweet Italian, pork breakfast sausage, and just about anything in between. Just be sure it’s a ground sausage and remove any casing before cooking.
- I like to use a sturdy pasta like Orecchiette, Rigatoni, or even Bow-Tie.
- Freshly grated Parmesan is a better choice than the powdery stuff for recipes like this. It will melt and incorporate into the sauce better.
Super easy and the whole family loved it! Putting on our meal plan to make again. Such a great winter meal when fresh produce is hard to find.
I made this tonight, and it turned out great! I had no idea that pumpkin could be used in savory dishes in this way!
This is delicious!! Made it last night for the family and it was a hit! Reminded me of a hamburger helper type dinner but healthier. I didn’t have cream, so I substituted cream cheese and it turned out amazing!
Ohhh that substitution sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Made this tonight. Wow! As a lifelong pumpkin dessert hater, I was looking for a way to incorporate this amazing food into my life. I used some leftover cheese sauce instead of cream, tho, and it was a bit too rich, but delicious nonetheless. I look forward to tryng the rest of you recipes!
I’m so glad that you liked it and that you are working more pumpkin into your life, it’s so good isn’t it!