Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Farfalle with Sausage and Pumpkin

Farfalle with Pumpkin and Sausage

Somehow, pumpkin has become the new bacon. I’m not sure how or why, but it seems that the second Labor Day was over, every food blogger in the history of the world started blogging pumpkin recipes. That may be a tad overdramatic, but to be honest, I was and still am overwhelmed by the volume of pumpkin recipes invading the interwebs over the last couple of months. I have certainly been guilty of this in the past, but I didn’t really want to contribute to the oversaturation this year…until now. This is one of two pumpkin recipes I have made recently. I won a giveaway on Mango & Tomato and was sent a couple of boxes of pasta. The spaghetti went quickly in one of my favorite easy recipes, but I wanted to try something a bit different with the farfalle which is not a type of pasta I use often. This dish is total comfort food, but not unhealthy. There is the slight sweetness of the pumpkin and cinnamon and a gentle heat from the red pepper flakes. The sage is not overpowering rounds out the flavor. The spinach added a bit of green and more would certainly be welcome. I’ve been sort of obsessed with Romano cheese lately, but if you don’t have it, Parmesan works well.

Farfalle with Pumpkin and Sausage

One year ago: Brunch at The Churchill
Two years ago: SugarFISH
Three years ago: Albondigas
Four years ago: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Farfalle with Sausage and Pumpkin
(Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction)

Makes 4-5 servings

10 ounces farfalle pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
Kosher salt to taste
12 ounces sage pork sausage
1/2 teaspoon diced fresh sage
1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup finely chopped spinach
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for serving

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and season lightly with salt. Cook until the onion has softened a bit, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage and use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the sausage is browned and cooked through.

Add the sage, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon to the pan. Cook for one minute. Add the pumpkin puree, spinach and wine and cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is warmed through and combined. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Add the pasta to the pan and toss to combine. If the mixture looks dry, add the reserved pasta water to the pan a little bit at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Serve the pasta topped with Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired.

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10 comments:

marla said...

Such a great combo of fall flavors!

Allison [Girl's Guide to Social Media] said...

This looks fantastic! I'll pumpkin recipes anytime of year. I love it!

vanillasugarblog said...

I just made a sweet potato soup with kielbasa. So good. I should blog it.
And I'm with you on the pumpkin; this year thankfully I love pumpkin, last year not so much.

Gastronomer said...

It's November and I've yet to touch anything pumpkin! Sad, right? Then again, it's 90 degrees in LA today.

This pasta looks awesome, Esi. I eat some variation of sausage pasta when I'm cooking on the fly!

Alicia Foodycat said...

This sounds really good! And much more interesting than a lot of the pumpkin recipes I have been seeing.

Joanne said...

Guilty as charged! I can't help it...I think it's ingrained in my soul. :)

Although actually the past few weeks I've been much more into sweet potatoes...hmm.

LOVE the sound of this pasta! Pumpkin heaven. :)

Esi said...

Joanne, I have been SO in to sweet potatoes lately and have a recipe coming. Thanks everyone for the comments and for ignoring the fact that I have been MIA for a while :)

Kelly Senyei said...

Just discovered your blog and I'm so happy to have found it! I could definitely go for a hearty bowl of this pasta for lunch today. Yum!

Esi said...

Welcome Kelly! It's always nice to meet a new reader :)

Unknown said...

ooh, that look so good!! pumpkin does seem to be the new bacon... wonder what it will be next year? i think i've only opened one can of pumpkin so far, shame on me :)