RECIPE: Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta

I love pumpkin.  It's pretty obvious if you do a search on my blog for "pumpkin"...

anyway...

I've never made a savory pumpkin dish before, besides Pumpkin Oatmeal.  I've always thought of pumpkin as a dessert.  So when I saw this Pumpkin and Sausage Penne dish on the Newlyweds Blog, I knew I had to give it a try.  It was SO good!  I did tweak it a little bit to reduce some calories.  Here's what I did:

Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 links Italian sausage (I used mild)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups canned pumpkin (or 15 oz can pumpkin)
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz fat free evaporated milk
10 box pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until done.  Add spices and cook for 1 minutes.  In separate bowl, whisk pumpkin, broth and evaporated milk.  Pour into hot skillet and stir well to combine.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Boil pasta until al dente.  Drain pasta and pour sauce into the pot.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese over the top and serve with raw pepitas. 

Makes 8 servings;  284 calories, 11 gr fat, 35.2 gr carbs, 12.2 gr protein

Enjoy!