Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with sausage, walnuts, parmesan, and sage
It’s Fall, which means we’re celebrating all things pumpkin and cozy dishes!
I’ve been doing some recipe development for Green Giant 100% Pumpkin (see also Pumpkin Cold Brew and Pumpkin Peach Parfait!), and I knew I wanted to recreate a pasta they used to offer during my days at Snap Kitchen.
Pumpkin dishes don’t always have to be sweet! At the end of the day, it’s a squash just like acorn and butternut, and is’s just as great in savory dishes as in sweet.
I am a firm believer that pasta can be a completely healthy and balanced dish. For this recipe, the creamy pumpkin sauce has no heavy cream, and instead uses a blend of pumpkin, ricotta cheese, and caramelized onions for a rich, flavor-packed sauce that is actually sneaking in two veggies.
We’re also balancing out the dish with some chicken sausage for protein and topping with walnuts for those precious omega-3s and a satisfying crunch.
Other ways to make pasta healthier:
Use a high-protein pasta like Banza, Brami, or Barilla Plus
Add tons of veggies! Broccoli, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, artichokes, leeks, etc
Sub heavy cream for lower-fat dairy options like cottage cheese, ricotta, and/or Greek yogurt
Portion control! I like to serve pasta with a salad to balance it out
Serve it with a protein to boost satiety
Make a blended sauce packed with lots of cooked veggies
Get the full recipe below, and check out the recipe video at this link!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Course Dinner
Servings 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
3 TBSP olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
⅓ cup walnuts pieces
9-10 sage leaves
1 can Green Giant 100% Pumpkin
12 oz Rigatoni Pasta
2 Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage Links (removed from casing)
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup reserved pasta water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
To a large pan, add one TBSP olive oil and the sliced yellow onion. Saute over medium-high heat until onions are a deep brown color and caramelized, stirring every few minutes for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, toast walnuts pieces over medium heat. Once toasted, remove from pan and set aside.
To the same pan used for toasting walnuts, add one TBSP olive oil, and toast sage over medium heat, flipping each sage leaf once slightly browned and crispy. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel.
To the same pan used for toasting walnuts, add 1 can of Green Giant 100% Pumpkin. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until most of the water is cooked out and pumpkin is a deeper orange color.
Add water to large pan or dutch oven, salt the water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
In a separate pan, saute spicy Italian chicken sausage, breaking up into small pieces to get a browned, crispy texture on each chicken sausage crumble.
Meanwhile, make the pumpkin pasta sauce by blending together pumpkin, caramelized onions, 1 cup ricotta cheese, ½ cup pasta water (plus more if you like a thinner sauce), and salt & pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta, then add back to the pan with the pumpkin sauce. Mix until the pasta is coated in the sauce.
Add pasta to a shallow dish, then top with chicken sausage, toasted walnuts, parmesan cheese, and crispy sage. Enjoy!
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