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Creamy pumpkin pasta with sausage, rigatoni, Parmesan and crispy sage in a ceramic bowl.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage combines browned Italian sausage, pumpkin purée, Parmesan, sage, garlic, and cream in a silky savory sauce tossed with rigatoni. It's an easy, comforting fall dinner that comes together in about 35 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz 340 g rigatoni or penne
  • 1 lb 450 g Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin purée
  • ¾ cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ –1 cup reserved pasta water as needed
  • Additional Parmesan for serving

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add sausage and cook for 6–8 minutes until browned and cooked through.
  4. Remove excess grease, leaving approximately 1 tablespoon in the skillet.
  5. Add onion and cook for 3–4 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and sage and cook for 30–60 seconds.
  7. Meanwhile, cook pasta until just al dente.
  8. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  9. Stir pumpkin purée into the sausage mixture and cook for 1–2 minutes.
  10. Add chicken broth and stir until smooth.
  11. Reduce heat and stir in heavy cream.
  12. Add nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
  13. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in Parmesan.
  14. Add drained pasta and toss thoroughly.
  15. Add reserved pasta water gradually until the sauce is silky and coats the pasta.
  16. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  17. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan.

Notes

Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Keep the heat low when adding Parmesan to prevent a grainy sauce. The sauce thickens as it sits, so reserve plenty of pasta water and leave the finished pasta slightly looser than you think it needs to be.