This one-pan Sausage Creamy Pumpkin Pasta is the perfect fall feast! Pasta, sausage, and squash are mixed in a creamy pumpkin sauce that just screams fall! Ready in just 30 minutes, this is your new weeknight favorite.
It’s that time of year. The season of pumpkin-flavored everything! Don’t let your latte have all of the fun though. Include your favorite fall flavors in your dinner menu when you whip up this simple 30-Minute Sausage Creamy Pumpkin Pasta recipe in just one pan! Using real pumpkin full of flavor, vitamins, and minerals boosts the nutritional value in this delicious dish. What’s not to love?
Did you know that canned pumpkin or pumpkin purée can be mixed with cream, milk, coconut cream, and some seasonings, and be transformed into the most amazingly creamy sauce? I almost called this dish Pumpkin Alfredo because it’s the creamiest and cheesiest, but doesn’t even require cheese! You can absolutely use it if you want, though, because cheese is wonderful. Either way, this dish is sure to impress family and friends.
I first made this dish accidentally. I was just discovering one-pot meals and trying to make a cheesy pasta with butternut squash and sausage. We didn’t have sausage, so I used hot dogs. I wound up burning the roux and looking desperately for another choice for a sauce. We had canned pumpkin and cream and that’s when I realized how golden this sauce would be, literally and figuratively.
Sausage Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Bonus points for any dish that can be made in one pot. It makes the cleanup the second easiest part of all of it. The easiest part, of course, is the actual cooking of the dish. This can be ready quickly!
Ingredients
- 1 box pasta of choice (I chose penne)
- 4 1/2 cups water or chicken/vegetable broth
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin purée
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 12-16 ounces butternut squash, cubed
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or parsley flakes
- Dried thyme or sage for added flavor
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg - garnish
- 1 pound sausage of choice, sliced
Instructions
- Brown fully-cooked sausage in a large skillet for a few minutes and set aside. Alternatively you could just add the sausage to the sauce later in the recipe like I do.
- Pour the uncooked penne in a 3-quart, straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven.
- Add the water or broth, minced garlic, olive oil, salt, red pepper, and black pepper.
- Add the butternut squash to allow it enough time to boil until tender.
- Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- Cook until penne is al dente - about 9-12 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat.
- Add the canned pumpkin or purée, heavy cream, sausage (if not yet browned and set aside), and Parmesan cheese.
- Toss and stir until smooth and creamy - the sauce will thicken in minutes.
- Use as much salt and pepper as needed.
- Top with parsley and sage.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: For a bonus, top dish with toasted pumpkin seeds, more Parmesan, and fresh nutmeg. This creamy pumpkin penne can be cooked quickly and deliciously, and as a bonus, you can add your own kinds of sausage or accompanying vegetables.
As mentioned in the recipe, there are certainly ways to make this dish even more seasonal. I mentioned parsley, thyme, or sage, but you can add your own favorite seasonings. The sky is the limit here. I also think it’s fun to experiment with different kinds of pasta, different kinds of cheeses, different kinds of sausage, and different accompanying vegetables. Squash is my favorite because it gets tender in the same amount of time it takes the pasta to get al dente, but you can use your favorite farmers market find instead.
We hope you love this Sausage Creamy Pumpkin Pasta recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Tamara from Tamara Like Camera, as much as we do. If you enjoyed this simple dish, be sure to visit our 30-Minute Meals section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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