Easy sausage pasta with pumpkin sauce for a weeknight meal done right

This sausage pasta recipe with pumpkin sauce is an easy dish to make — it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Plus, the flavors will leave your home smelling absolutely wonderful. My family loved this meal and are already requesting that I make it again for them soon.

If you aren’t a fan of sweet peppers or onions, you can substitute them for different vegetable options. Some other vegetables or fruits that would work are cooked spinach, a diced apple, a green pepper or some kind of squash. You could also chose to top this pasta with some chopped nuts such as pecans. By getting creative and trading out some of the ingredients in this dish you can have a different dinner using the same base (pasta, pumpkin and sausage) every night of the week.

Pumpkin and sausage pasta recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta — I used penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Original Sausage Crumbles
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic, red pepper, yellow pepper and onion. Saute until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat and stir in the heavy cream.
4. Season the sauce with the nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
6. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and then drain.
7. Return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over the pasta.
8. Top the pasta with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

More pumpkin recipes:

29 Sweet and savory pumpkin recipes
3 Non-pie Thanksgiving pumpkin desserts
Peekaboo pumpkin pound cake