Autumn Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

“Made this last night for our annual pumpkin carving dinner party- had raves all around!The recipe doubled nicely and was easy to prepare- a few changes I made: I used one lb. of sweet sausage and 1 lb. of hot (a happy middle ground).I used RED onions, diced fine (like their color and sweet flavor). I used 1 1/2 T. fresh sage (4-6 leaves?What size of leaves? I also made this once using dried, rubbed sage- be careful with it as it is potent! Use half as much dried as you would use of fresh).I didn’t have a dry white wine so I used a mellow reisling (it wasn’t too sweet).I used half and half and I grated my own nutmeg (fresh nutneg just adds volumes!)- so there you go.I served this with bread, cheese, and a beautiful spinach salad (#29765).YUUMMM!”

“Wow!Mad this tonight – superb!MInor substitutions were to use sweet *and* hot italian sausage and fat free half and half instead of cream or regular half and half.It was plenty rich, tasty, and flavorful without the added fat and calories!The pumpkin really thickens the sauce and adds a mellow flavor.I toasted some chopped walnuts to use as a garnish – the flavor and added crunch enhanced an already wonderful dish.My husband added crushed red pepper flakes to add a bit more spice (but that’s just his way).Idea: roasted pumpkin seeds would also be a nice, tasty garnish.It was a real hit – easy to make, eat, and freeze for later.Excellent recipe I’ll make often – thanks!”

“Yumm! I used bulk sausage also and a touch of ground sage as I didn’t have any leaves.Used plain yogurt in place of the cream.A wonderful, flavorful change of pace sauce for any pasta! “

“THIS WAS WONDERFUL. I used hot Italian sausages and I removed the casing. I also didn’t change anything else. It was a hit with husband kids and me. Amazing flavor. Very easy to make. I served it with a large salad and cornbread. Thanks so much. PollyB”

“This recipe is OUT OF THIS WORLD.Both picky hubby and 15-mo-old daughter loved this so much that I’m serving it to my in-laws this week.If you have qualms about pumpkin as a main course you must try this – it will win you over.I used bulk sausage (links with casings removed) and wouldn’t change a thing!”

“This was very good. It’s a new flavor for pasta! I served this with rigatoni pasta and a glass of the wine that used while cooking. Remember – never cook with wine that’s not good enough to drink. I went looking for this recipe because I saw it on 30 minute meals with Rachel Ray and couldn’t write it down fast enough!! Thanks for sharing.”

“I was afraid at first!!! My DH isn’t crazy about pumpkin, but he’ll try anything. We both thought this was just wonderful. I used hot sausage, with the casings removed, other than that I followed the recipe exactly as written. It’s so easy & quick to prepare too. It’s gonna be a keeper in this house. Thanks Dancer.”

“I tried this out of curiosity – I’ve never heard of pumpkin with pasta… but it was delicious, and very easy to make.My roommate and I both enjoyed it – thanks for sharing the recipe!”

“I made this without the sausage. It was just okay. Wouldn’t make it again.”

“Sorry, we didn’t care for this – quite gloopy and not a lot of flavour beyond the sage.And a shame as we used really good Napoli Italian sausage, which in hindsight would have been much better utilised in the Sardinian Malloreddus recipe that is one of our “tried and true” ones.”

“Highly recommended.I made a half recipe last night using sweet Italian sausage.The sweet of the sausage and the pumpkin work very well together.I cut WAY back on the cinnamon, but used freshly grated nutmeg (which makes all the difference in the world, IMO, in savory recipes).I also sprinkled in about 1/4 tsp. of Aleppo pepper, which has a nice little bit of spice to add.I’ll definitely make this again – perhaps with hot Italian sausage for a different “bite.””

“This recipe was okay but nothing exciting about it.”

“WOW! I was just looking for something to use up the can of pumpkin I had in the cabinet, and this is so much more than I could have hoped for. We LOVED it! I couldn’t find pork sweet italian sausage so I used turkey other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for the recipe!”

“I really enjoyed this recipe!I made a few changes, based on what I had on hand.I didn’t have any bay leaves, so instead I tried 1/2 tsp fennel! It added a sweet undertone that I thought was absolutely delicious, and very flavorful.Also, instead of penne I used PLAIN OLD ELBOWS, and it was still good!And then, for the biggest difference, I used shredded chicken instead of sausage, as I did not have any of that either. It was good, but I can imagine the sausage adds a much different taste that I’ll look forward to! This is going in my cookbook- a nice fall-ish comfort food.”

“This is a great fall meal. I thought it turned out very nicely. the sage, cinnamin and nutmeg really added some great flavor.”

“I am so disappointed I did not like this recipe. It had everything going for it. Tons of good reviews and the fact that I love pumpkin in both sweet and savory foods. I just didn’t think there was a lot of flavor to the sauce, inspite of all the seasonings. I kept adding more and more parmesan cheese to add more flavor and salt. After I dumped a ton in I came to terms with the fact that nothing was going to give it the flavor boost I was looking for. Oh well, what are you going to do? I am glad so many people liked this recipe – I guess this one just wasn’t for me :)”

“This is one of my favorite dishes!! I really think I could eat it everyday 😉 !!! BTW…it serves more like 8…but leftovers only get better. Make sure you have lots of good Italian bread too! Your going to want to sop up every last piece…”

“Great fall (or year-round if you love pumpkin as much as I do) recipe!I used local Italian-spiced bratwurst, casings removed, and used a great white wine I discovered while traveling in Italy called “Greco di Tufo” –really brought out the sweetness in the pumpkin and pork.I used heavy cream and 1/4 teaspoon each of the fall spices. Delicious, can’t wait to share it with friends.”

“SO GOOD! What a refreshing change for a pasta dish! I used chicken italian sausage, 1/2 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg and heavy cream. Definitely loved the parmesan on top! So easy and good, perfect for a cool fall day. Thanks!”

“This was good and unique.I used a 2004 Kono Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.Not a real dry wine but I love Sauv- Blanc.I used whole wheat rotini pasta.Didn’t have fresh sage so I used 1/4 tsp ground sage.Tasting, I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper.Didn’t use cheese, I thought the sauce was rich enough without it.I think that next time I will try pouring the sauce over some unseasoned sauteed cabbage instead of pasta.I thought the pasta kind of masked the great flavors in the sauce.I liked the sauce by itself best.”