Pumpkin & Sausage Penne

Happy Daylight Savings Time!  Hope you all enjoyed that extra hour of sleep last night!  Today's recipe is a comforting pasta dish that my SUPER picky 3 year old actually ate!  I am still in shock!  I love my son like crazy, but I cringe at every meal because he just sticks his nose up to my food before he ever tastes it.  Each dinner is a battle!  I make him whatever he wants for breakfast & lunch, & I try telling him that, "Mommy is a professionally trained chef, & she will never give you something yucky" but that little booger never believes me.  So when he took a big bite of the penne & didn't spit it out, it was a miracle!  That must mean this dish is worth making, right?  I loved how the sage & cinnamon complemented the pumpkin flavors of the dish.  It was a great alternative to the regular spaghetti & tomato sauce.  And anything with sausage has my name written all over it!  If you have any canned pumpkin leftover from baking all those pumpkin desserts, give this savory dish a try.  I think you will be as impressed as I was.

Pumpkin & Sausage Penne

Recipe slightly altered from Taste of Home by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
• 2-3 Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1/2 large onion, small diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup chicken broth (or white wine if you have it)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp (each) salt, pepper, & cinnamon 
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles.  Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.  Discard all but 1 tsp. drippings.
3. Cook & stir onion & garlic in oil & reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender.  Add 2/3 cup of broth or white wine & bay leaf.  Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
4. Stir in 1 1/2 cups broth, & add the pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper, cinnamon, & nutmeg; cook 1 minute longer.  Add the cream & sausage; heat through.  Remove bay leaf.  Drain pasta & add to skillet.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.  (*If sauce seems thin, allow to rest for a few minutes.  It will thicken the longer it sits.)

Happy Daylight Savings Time!  Hope you all enjoyed that extra hour of sleep last night!  Today's recipe is a comforting pasta dish that my SUPER picky 3 year old actually ate!  I am still in shock!  I love my son like crazy, but I cringe at every meal because he just sticks his nose up to my food before he ever tastes it.  Each dinner is a battle!  I make him whatever he wants for breakfast & lunch, & I try telling him that, "Mommy is a professionally trained chef, & she will never give you something yucky" but that little booger never believes me.  So when he took a big bite of the penne & didn't spit it out, it was a miracle!  That must mean this dish is worth making, right?  I loved how the sage & cinnamon complemented the pumpkin flavors of the dish.  It was a great alternative to the regular spaghetti & tomato sauce.  And anything with sausage has my name written all over it!  If you have any canned pumpkin leftover from baking all those pumpkin desserts, give this savory dish a try.  I think you will be as impressed as I was.

Pumpkin & Sausage Penne

Recipe slightly altered from Taste of Home by: Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
• 2-3 Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1/2 large onion, small diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup chicken broth (or white wine if you have it)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2/3 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp (each) salt, pepper, & cinnamon 
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles.  Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.  Discard all but 1 tsp. drippings.
3. Cook & stir onion & garlic in oil & reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender.  Add 2/3 cup of broth or white wine & bay leaf.  Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
4. Stir in 1 1/2 cups broth, & add the pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper, cinnamon, & nutmeg; cook 1 minute longer.  Add the cream & sausage; heat through.  Remove bay leaf.  Drain pasta & add to skillet.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.  (*If sauce seems thin, allow to rest for a few minutes.  It will thicken the longer it sits.)