Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Penne with Sausage and Pumpkin

Penne with Sausage and Pumpkin

Ingredients

  • 1 small sugar pumpkin
  • 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus some for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pound penne or whole wheat penne
  • 1 pound bulk, good-quality Italian sweet sausage
  • 3 large shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • A handful of fresh sage leaves, very thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Yields: Serves 4-6

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Split pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, rinse and dry them, and arrange them on a small baking sheet.

Drizzle the pumpkin with a light layer of EVOO and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast pumpkin until very tender. Scoop out pumpkin flesh and add to food processor. Puree until smooth.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, brown and crumble it as it cooks. Add shallots and garlic, and cook to tender, 3-4 minutes. Add sage and deglaze the pan with wine.

Stir pumpkin puree into pan and thin it out with the stock to form a sauce. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream, a couple of turns of the pan.

Reserve a little starchy cooking water before draining the pasta. Toss pasta with sauce, using the cooking water if the mixture gets a little too tight. Top pasta with cheese and serve.