Cheesy Pumpkin and Sausage Pasta

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Hot Italian sausage meets creamy, cheesy pumpkin sauce in this easy yet elegant weeknight pasta dinner.

Ingredients

1 pound hot Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 (16 ounce) package campanelle pasta
2 cups chicken stock
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pinch cayenne pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions

1 Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sausage in the hot skillet, breaking it into crumbles, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Stir in onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2 Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in campanelle pasta and return to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until firm to the bite, 7 to 10 minutes.
3 Stir chicken stock, pumpkin, half-and-half, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper into the sausage mixture. Cook, stirring often, until sauce is creamy and thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in pasta to coat. Top with fresh sage leaves and serve.