Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta
A Savory Fall Feast
Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta is a dreamy weeknight meal with creamy cheese, hints of pumpkin, and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg plus the savory sausage. A recipe that cooks up in about an hour and makes for great leftovers.
I crave the flavors of fall and I especially love all the savory pumpkin spiced foods. This Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta is one that will be on your regular fall rotation.
It is SO easy to make, mostly cooks up in one pan, and it comes out tasting gourmet.
Mister Tipsy is NOT a pumpkin spice fan although pumpkin pie is his favorite thing. He was not looking forward to this when I told him what my plans for dinner were.
He soon changed his mind. He could not get over how creamy and delicious this was.
He could taste the pumpkin but even as a non pumpkin spice lover, he loved this!
Reheats Well
I made this earlier in the evening so that I could photograph this in the good light. I had to reheat this at 10 pm when Mister got home from work and I was shocked how well it reheated!
This was such a treat that I packaged some up and had mister take it over to our older neighbor. He was also really excited about it!
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Many are going to be surprised by the use of the pumpkin pie filling. I know some will argue that you need to use the real pumpkin, but trust me, use the pie filling.
The savory sweet in this pasta is what makes it great. The filling is not crazy sweet to me and it balances the flavor of the sausage and the onion.
Try it, you will love it!
The Sausage
Pictured above is the sausage that I used for this recipe. This is in the section by the bacon.
At some times of the year they also make one of these with the sage which would be even better. The herbs in this breakfast sausage are what really add to the recipe.
Any brand will do, I even use the one from Aldi that is also the one in my World’s Best Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe.
The Sauce
The sauce will not be very thick before you add the cooked pasta in as the pasta will help thicken the sauce. This sauce is not meant to be super thick, like an Alfredo.
It is more liquid and will absorb into the pasta and coat the pasta and is just a great texture. DO not worry when you see that it is thinner.
Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta Recipe
Creamy Sausage Pumpkin Pasta is a recipe perfect for weeknight meals. It comes together pretty quickly with flavors of savory sausage, sage, canned pumpkin pie filling, cream cheese, and red pepper. This will soon be a fan favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 box of Ziti pasta (16 ounces)
- 1 cup of Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 1 lb. package of Breakfast Sausage *the one that is in the tube **picture in post for reference
- 1 small Sweet Onion
- 1 brick of Cream Cheese (8 ounces)
- 3 cups of Water
- 1 heaping tablespoon of savory Onion Bouillon or Beef Bouillon *pictured in post
- Black Pepper
- White Pepper
- Fresh Sage
- Dried Red Pepper Flakes
- Dried Parsley
- 1/2 cup of shredded Asiago Cheese or Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to the package direction, drain, and reserve one cup of the pasta water in case it is needed.
- Dice the onion and add the onion and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a deep sided skillet. Sauté the onion until golden brown.
- Add all of the ground breakfast sausage to the skillet. Cook fully, until golden brown, breaking up the meat into a fine crumble as you cook it. Season with white and black pepper to taste, I use about a teaspoon of each.
- Then add a few sprigs of the fresh sage to the skillet. If you do not have fresh sage, add about 2 teaspoons of dried. Taste and add as much as you like. Sauté the sage in for a minute or two.
- Add the bouillon to the skillet and the 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and simmer on very low 20 minutes.
- Cut up the cream cheese into small cubes and let soften for a few minutes while the skillet simmers.
- After the 20 minutes, fish out the sage leaves carefully and dispose. Add the canned pumpkin pie filling and the cream cheese. Whisk until the cream cheese and the pumpkin pie filling is incorporated into the broth.
- Bring to a simmer again, whisk here and there, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce should reduce down but will still be more liquid than thick.
- Add a few pinches of the dried parsley and red pepper flake. Taste and adjust.
- Add the pasta to the skillet, toss the pasta to coat, simmer this for 10 to 15 minutes, and let the pasta absorb some of the sauce. *if you notice for some reason the sauce is too thick you can thin it out with some of the pasta water. Add the cheese, stir until the cheese is melted.
- Top with more pepper, red pepper flakes and parsley, and serve.