This week on the blog, it’s pumpkin week! I’m sharing three brand-new recipes that use pumpkin in them. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of pumpkin desserts, and I love pumpkin bread all fall long, but I also love pumpkin in savory dishes. Pumpkin adds a subtle sweet flavor to dishes like this pumpkin sage sausage pasta, and also adds a great creaminess to pasta sauce. Have you seen the fall pasta sauce at Trader Joe’s? The sauce in this pasta dish reminds me of that.
I love using a sage pasta to amp up that flavor in this pasta dish. Sage is the perfect herb to pair with pumpkin because the flavors compliment each other so well. I love sage and thyme in recipes this time of year because it reminds me of Thanksgiving dressing. In addition to the sage in the pasta sauce, I also put crispy sage leaves on top. They are so easy to crisp up in a little olive oil, and crumble perfectly on top of the pasta for a little extra crunch and sage flavor. Once you make crispy sage leaves like this, you’ll want to put them on everything.
A little parmesan cheese on top and this dish is complete. And just in case you’re someone who doesn’t like pumpkin, let me assure you that my husband isn’t crazy about it either and he devoured this without knowing it was in there. While this pumpkin sage sausage pasta has pumpkin as one of its main ingredients, the flavor is subtle and perfect. A little bit of sausage, a little bit of heat, and a lot of sage, and you have the perfect fall meal.
- 1 lb. penne pasta
- 1 lb. sausage (I like sage sausage for this, but any kind will work)
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried sage
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- ½ cup milk or half and half
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- Olive oil for frying
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as it cooks.
- Add tomato sauce, pumpkin puree, salt, sage, pepper, cayenne, and milk or half and half. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. If you would like a thinner sauce, add more milk or to the sauce.
- Return pasta to pot and stir to combine.
- In a small frying pan, heat oil. Once the oil shimmers, add sage leaves. Cook on both sides until crispy, flipping with tongs. Keep an eye on them, they crisp up quickly!
- Serve pasta topped with crispy sage leaves and shredded parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
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[…] continues with another delicious recipe! If you missed the first recipe, check out this delicious pumpkin sage sausage pasta here. I’m back today with another savory pumpkin dish. The filling for these enchiladas is […]