Hands down this is my hubby’s favorite meal. Ask him what he wants for his birthday? Pumpkin pasta. Special occasion? Pumpkin pasta. Regular night? Pumpkin pasta. And I’ll be honest – everyone in the fam is totally on board. This dish is fantastic. Its creamy, spicy, warm, homey and feels like the best kind of comfort food out there. And since there’s very little heavy cream, butter, etc. it’s not SUPER bad for you. It’s not going to win health awards because of the bacon sausage – but it’s not on par with Fettuccine Alfredo, Mac and Cheese or a Big Mac.

Deep sixing the sausage and chicken broth for veggie broth will make this vegetarian. Conversely, you can use pancetta if you don’t have sausage, though it will change up the smokiness from the bacon. I’ve also thrown leftover chicken in it when I’m out of smoked pork deliciousness.

I get my country bacon sausage from Union Meat Company at Eastern Market in Washington, DC. If you’re local, I HIGHLY recommend stopping by for a visit. You can get all sorts of treats in the way of refreshments and local goods! Fun outing, great food, supporting local businesses – I call that a win-win!

Read on for tonight’s dinner inspo!

Recipe

• 1lb country bacon sausage (or another sausage of your choosing, pancetta or leave it out)
• 1 can (14oz) Pumpkin
• 1 lb pasta – penne, rigatoni, etc.
• 3 tbs Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 2 tbs Cloves
• 2 tbs Allspice
• 1 tsp Marjoram
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Cardamom
• 1 tsp Sage
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup pasta water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream – optional
• 1 onion – diced
• 3 cloves of garlic – diced

Begin by browning your sausage. Drain off the fat, and add in your onions. Cook until translucent, then remove from pan and set aside. Next, throw in your diced garlic. When it starts to really smell yummy (about 30-60 seconds) toss in the canned pumpkin and all of your spices. Stir it around and cook for 5 minutes. These spices are great for this recipe because you can add as much or as little of them as you want. We aren’t super big nutmeg fans here so we tend to go heavier on the other flavors and lighter on that. Mix and match to your taste buds!

Very slowly pour in your chicken broth – you don’t want it to splash around and send pumpkin flying. While incorporating the liquid in your sauce, set a pan of water to boil and cook your pasta – I usually use short pasta because it holds the sauce so nicely. But use whatever you have on hand. Cook the noodles till just shy of al dente. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Meanwhile, continue stirring the sauce, and add back in the bacon / onion mixture. Gently start spooning the pasta into your sauce pan. If the sauce is really thick, add more pasta water until it’s thinned to your liking. I like to add more pasta water because it will usually thicken as it stands. You can also add the heavy cream in at this point if you want. Stir together until everything is nice and cohesive. Top with the parmesan cheese and dig in! Bowls optional.

Bon Appetit!