Pumpkin goes savory with this deliciously easy Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage. It's a 30-minute meal that the whole family will love!
(This recipe for Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage was originally published in November 2009, but was updated with new photos in 2019).
Love or hate the fact that it's become such a huge craze, there's no denying the fact that pumpkin is incredibly versatile. From oatmeal to lattes to cookies to risotto, you can literally incorporate pumpkin into every meal of your day. And if you're me, that's exactly what you want to do, especially as pumpkin season comes to an end.
Though I happily enjoy pumpkin straight through Christmas, I realize many people feel as though it ends after Thanksgiving. Which is coming up soon. But really, if you think of pumpkin like butternut squash or sweet potato (which it's ridiculously similar to), you should be enjoying it all winter long.
There's not much I haven't tried adding pumpkin to at this point, but when I saw this pasta recipe over on Beantown Baker's blog, I knew I had to try it. I've always loved butternut squash pasta, so I figured I'd love pumpkin pasta, too.
Add in some chicken sausage and spinach and this is the kind of meal that really feels like it has everything. I also love using chicken sausage in Wild Rice and Chicken Sausage Stew.
PUMPKIN PASTA WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE RECIPE
This is a fabulous dinner for many reasons, but one of the best? It's a 30 minute meal and is so ridiculously easy to get on your dinner table in no time. It also has something to make everyone in your family happy from pasta to chicken sausage to pumpkin to spinach. It's hard not to fall in love with this one. OK, ready to see how easy it is?
The first thing you'll want to do is bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil so you can get your pasta cooking to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add in onions. Cook onion for about 10 minutes, until tender, and then add the garlic, chicken sausage, and sage.
In terms of the chicken sausage, you can use any flavor or variety you want. I went with a spinach version, but you really can't go wrong here. Also, if you prefer using pork sausage here, you certainly can. Just make sure you cook it through if needed.
Combine the pumpkin puree and cottage cheese in a blender and blend until it's nice and smooth.
Isn't it a lovely color??
Once chicken sausage is heated through, add the pumpkin and cottage cheese mixture to the skillet, along with the spinach. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook over low heat just to heat sauce and let spinach wilt a bit.
Add pasta to the skillet and toss everything together. If the pasta won't fit in your skillet, you can add everything to a big bowl and toss there instead.
Serve pumpkin pasta with a little bit of goat cheese crumbled over the top. Of course, this is optional and OF COURSE I forgot to do it here. But I added some red pepper flakes and did include the goat cheese when I ate the leftovers... And it brought the perfect little creamy touch to this dish.
Yes, I ate this pumpkin pasta for dinner the night I made it and then ate it again the next two nights. I honestly think it's the ideal autumn dish and I would even go so far to say you'll enjoy it even if you're not the biggest pumpkin fan. The pumpkin taste isn't over-powering and it is basically a dish of creamy deliciousness.
Besides, I think most "pumpkin haters" don't really hate it and are just sick of the pumpkin spice craze. After all, if you like butternut squash and/or sweet potato, it would be quite strange for you to not like pumpkin, too.
And pasta coated in a deliciously creamy pumpkin and cottage cheese sauce? This is the kind of comfort food that you think must be so unhealthy... But it's not at all! Sure there are carbs in the pasta, but for the most part, this dish is light and healthy. You can also feel free to use whole wheat pasta or the pasta alternative of your choice (there are SO many options these days).
Or make pumpkin pasta sans pasta and simply toss the chicken sausage with spinach and the sauce. You do you!
As for me, I'll stick to this pumpkin pasta as is. But next time, I'm adding the crumbled goat cheese on top!
What's your favorite savory pumpkin dish?
If you're looking for more savory pumpkin dishes, check out my Pumpkin Mac and Cheese or my Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin Chicken Meatballs. And how delicious are these Pumpkin and Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes from Sweet Beginnings?
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 8 oz. bowtie pasta
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup chopped onion (from 1 small onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped sage
- 4 links chicken sausage, sliced
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
- 5-6 cups baby spinach
- Crumbled goat cheese for topping, optional
- Red pepper flakes for topping, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente. When done cooking, drain.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add in sliced onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic, sausage, and sage to skillet.
- Combine pumpkin and cottage cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth.
- Once chicken sausage is heated through, add pumpkin and cottage cheese mixture to skillet, along with the spinach. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook over low heat to warm sauce.
- Add pasta to the skillet and toss everything together. If your skillet isn't large enough, you can toss everything together in a separate large bowl. return it to the pot.
- Top pasta with crumbled goat cheese before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Recipe slightly adapted from Beantown Baker.
Mariko says
Woah. That looks SO good. I am not done with pumpkin season either. I'm definitely making this for Sunday dinner!
Lauren says
That looks DELISH! I need to make this!
Jen says
Glad you liked it! We really enjoyed this pasta as well.
Kelly Alesso says
I think pumpkin is definitely okay long into December. That looks delicious. I also made a squash pasta dish, although mine was inspired by Cooking Light and included Parsnips. Posting soon.
Judy says
Love, love, love this recipe. I am totally a fan of pumpkin.
Culinary Cory says
I love the fact it's pumpkin season. Great idea to add it to pasta.