Pumpkin Sausage Pasta With Spinach Cookies And Cups

This Pumpkin Sausage Pasta is Divine!

Saying goodbye to summer can be bittersweet, but here’s the upside: You get to start making fall comfort food again! There are a number of different recipes that you could choose to celebrate fall with, but my mission today is to convince you to pick this Creamy Pumpkin Sausage Pasta. It. Is. Fabulous. And to those of you who “don’t like pumpkin”, DON’T WORRY! The pumpkin in this recipe makes things creamy and delicious, while not being pumpkin-y. Trust my kids on this one!

This Pumpkin Sausage Pasta is Divine!What Makes this Recipe So Good?Recipe IngredientsHow to Make Pumpkin Sausage PastaTips for Success:Serving SuggestionsHow to Store and Reheat LeftoversMore Pumpkin Recipes to Try:Get the Recipe

Rigatoni noodles and crumbled Italian sausage are combined with fresh spinach, canned pumpkin, and more, and tossed in a decadent cream sauce. Oh, and then all of that is topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Because (life tip) cheese makes everything better. So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to spice up your weekly pasta dinner, here’s a golden one. ‘Tis the season of all things pumpkin, after all.

What Makes this Recipe So Good?

How much time do you have? Just kidding, just kidding. I’ll boil down my pumpkin-sausage-pasta-loving-spiel down to three main points so that you don’t have to be here reading all day:

It’s Easy: All you have to do is cook some veggies, sauté some sausage, and boil some pasta. I can’t say that it’s an easy one-pan recipe because technically you need two (a skillet for the sauce and a pot for the pasta), but I can say it’s a super simple skillet recipe! It’s Flavorful: There’s sweet sausage, spicy red pepper flakes, rich pumpkin undertones, savory seasoning, etc. If you like your pasta dinners to be even more complex flavor-wise, feel free to add in more spices of your choosing. It’s Perfect for Fall: This sausage pasta recipe is a great option if you’re throwing a fall dinner party. It’s festive, totally comforting, and it presents really nicely, too!

Recipe Ingredients

Alright, so by now I suppose you’ve gathered that you’ll need some sausage and noodles, but there are a few other things to round up for this pumpkin sausage pasta too:

Olive Oil: For sautéing the onion and sausage in.Onion: I used a diced yellow onion for this recipe.Sausage: I like sweet Italian sausage in this pasta dinner, but feel free to switch it up.Seasoning/Spices: Combine minced garlic, ground sage, kosher salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, and ground nutmeg.Chicken Stock: This will be the base for the cream sauce.White Wine: Dry white wine is best – try not to use a sweet wine.Canned Pumpkin: It can’t be a pumpkin cream sauce without pumpkin!Heavy Cream: To thicken up the sauce/add some richness. You can use milk instead if you want to lighten things up a little.Pasta: I like to use rigatoni pasta, but use whatever small-medium sized pasta you’ve got on hand.Spinach: Fresh spinach adds a little color, plus it’s healthy. 🙂Cheese: Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese adds great flavor to the sauce, plus it’s perfect for garnish.

How to Make Pumpkin Sausage Pasta

Tips for Success:

Simple, yet so flavorful. Anyway, before you get started, here are some pumpkin-sausage-pasta making tips:

Can I Use Fresh Pumpkin? Sure! It’s a bit of extra work because you’ll have to boil and mash the pumpkin, but if you’ve got the time, go for it. Sausage Substitutions: You can use Italian sausage, other kinds of ground sausage, ground turkey, etc. Pick your favorite! If you want to make this a vegetarian meal and omit the sausage entirely, that works too. Add in More Vegetables: I generally just leave it at spinach, but you could throw in chopped zucchini, peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc. Can I Make this Ahead? Definitely. I find that this meal turns out best when you refrigerate the sauce/meat mixture and the pasta separately, and then combine them when you’re ready to eat the dinner.

Serving Suggestions

What goes with pumpkin sausage pasta? Good question. It’s a pretty hearty/filling dinner, but here are a few small suggestions:

Salad: A simple salad is easy, healthy, and it goes with everything – this pasta dinner included. Roasted Vegetables: Another healthy option. Roasted asparagus and squash in particular go great with this meal.Crusty Bread: Any time you’ve got a killer cream sauce like this one, bread is always a must. Whip up some garlic bread, toast slices of French bread, etc. Whatever works best!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Keep any leftover sausage and pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. To reheat, simply warm the pasta in a skillet over medium heat. You might want to add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.