Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage | Hearty Fall Pasta Recipe | Perfect for Autumn 🍂

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: milk + cornstarch

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

spicy Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: turkey sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Turkey sausage is lower in fat and calories.

Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and set it on the stove.

Use rigatoni for this recipe.

In a saute pan, cover the bottom with olive oil and heat on medium high.

Chop one small sweet onion finely and add it to the hot oil with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper; sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1/2 cup of white wine, and 1 tablespoon of calabrian chili paste to the pan; mix and let the onion cook with these ingredients.

Chop 6 basil leaves finely and add them to the pan with the onion.

In a separate bowl, prepare 3/4 pound of ground turkey, seasoning it with thyme, fennel seed, oregano, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika; add to the pan and cook until browned.

Bring the pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of kosher salt just before boiling.

Gather additional ingredients: 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of non-dairy oat milk, and 1/2 cup of grated pecorino Romano.

Once the turkey is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and turn the heat down to medium.

Add 1 can of pumpkin puree and 1 cup of milk to the pan; mix well.

Season the mixture with a pinch of kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon of dried sage, and 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg; stir until combined.

Add another tablespoon of unsalted butter and the mascarpone cheese to the mixture as it heats.

Add 3/4 cup of frozen green peas to the pan and mix them in; turn the heat to low.

Once the pasta is al dente, add it to the pumpkin sauce along with the reserved spicy Italian sausage.

Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta; use it to loosen the sauce if needed.

Add 1/2 cup of grated pecorino Romano and the juice of 1/2 lemon to the pasta; toss well.

Serve the pasta topped with additional pecorino Romano, chopped walnuts, and fresh basil.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens