Roasted pumpkin pasta with sage is a sweet, savory, and earthy pasta dish that perfectly embodies the flavors of fall. This satisfying meal offers a lot to love and is made with fresh pumpkin and sage, sausage, spices, parmesan cheese, and cream.
I've been making variations on this pumpkin pasta dish for years. I keep returning to it each fall, and for good reason. Here's what I like about it:
- There is so much flavor. Ground sausage adds richness, plenty of fresh sage and pumpkin add earthiness, fresh ginger and ground cinnamon add sweet spice, white wine adds depth, and Parmesan and half and half add creaminess.
- It's a great savory use for pumpkin. This sauce proves that other vegetables besides tomatoes make delicious sauces and that pumpkin isn't just for pies and other sweets.
- You can select the degree of effort you want to put in. When you're short on time and don't want to roast pumpkin, you can open up a can of pumpkin puree. But when you have more time or can plan ahead, roast and puree your own pumpkin.
For more of my pasta dishes, check out these:
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Zucchini Mushroom Pasta
- Pasta and Peas with Mint Pistachio Pesto
- Artichoke Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
Here's everything you need for making roasted pumpkin pasta with sage.
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin - Since this is a roasted pumpkin pasta recipe, you'll need a pumpkin. A sugar pumpkin is a good option, as they're a manageable size, but feel free to use whatever variety you can find.
- Sausage - I love using Vermont Salumi's red wine and garlic sausage in this recipe. You can use a sweet, spicy, Italian, or other flavored sausage that you think would go well in the dish. If the sausage is wrapped in casing, no problem, as you'll remove it before cooking.
- Sage - Fresh sage's woody, earthy flavor is a key component of the pumpkin sage sauce. Dried sage isn't the same, but you could use it at about one-third the amount of fresh. And if you don't have either, fresh rosemary works as a backup, though it will noticeably change the flavor of the final dish.
- Pasta - Any pasta is great in this recipe. I like one that will hold the pumpkin sausage sauce well. In the photos, I used Sfoglini's Cascatelli, a pasta shape developed by Dan Pashman of The Sporkful podcast.
- White wine - To deglaze the pan and add flavor to the sauce.
- Parmesan - Because what's pasta without cheese?
- Ginger - Adds a little zing to the pumpkin sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
- Canned pumpkin puree - If you're short on time or don't have a fresh pumpkin handy, you can substitute canned pumpkin puree. Ensure you use pure pumpkin puree, not a sweetened and spiced pie filling mix.
- Butternut squash - Makes a fine replacement for pumpkin in this recipe.
- White wine - Don't want to use wine? Replace with additional broth.
- Make it spicy - To add some spice to the sauce, you could either use a spicy sausage variety or add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the pan when you add the onion.
Instructions
Cut your pumpkin into pieces. Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with oil, sage, and salt and roast for 45-55 minutes or until tender.
Remove the casings from the sausage and break the meat into pieces in a pan. Continue breaking it up with a spoon in the pan as it browns for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for your pasta.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining salt and sage. Cook for five or so minutes until the onion is cooked, then add the wine and simmer for another two minutes until it is mostly cooked off.
When the pumpkin is cooked, let it cool until it is easy to handle. Scoop out the flesh and puree it in a food processor until it is smooth. Add a splash or two of water to help the process.
Pour the pumpkin puree and broth into the pan with the sausage. Simmer for ten minutes until the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, salt your boiling pasta water and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.
Add the half and half and parmesan cheese to the pan. Stir into the sauce and simmer for another couple of minutes until incorporated and heated through. Serve the sauce over the pasta and top with additional cheese.
FAQ
Definitely. I'd suggest roasting the pumpkin, pureeing it all at once, and then storing the puree in the fridge up to 3 days in advance. I find it easier to remove the skin and puree when the pumpkin is still warm.
You can leave out the sausage. It adds flavor and substance to the dish, but it would still be tasty if you left it out.
It's not necessary. The skin should come off fairly easily after roasting when the squash is still warm. Use a spoon or knife, if needed.
Storage
Store leftover pasta and sauce in separate, air-tight containers in the fridge for up to three days.
Pairing
These recipes would pair nicely with this pumpkin pasta.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Sage
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
Description
Roasted pumpkin pasta with sage is a sweet, savory, and earthy pasta dish that perfectly embodies the flavors of fall. Made with fresh pumpkin and sage, sausage, spices, parmesan cheese, and cream, there's a lot to love about this satisfying meal.
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound pumpkin (or 1-16 ounce can pumpkin puree)
- A small bunch of fresh sage leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound sausage (casings removed)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups broth
- 1 pound pasta
- ½ cup half and half
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Prep the fresh ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the pumpkin into quarters, cut off the top, and scoop out the seeds. Roughly chop the sage leaves - you'll need about 3 tablespoons total. Mince the garlic. Peel and chop the ginger. Chop the onion.
- Roast the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of salt and half of the chopped sage. Roast in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife.
- Cook the sausage. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Allow to cook until mostly browned, about 10 minutes. If a lot of fat has accumulated in the process, carefully drain off most of it into a bowl. Then add the garlic, ginger, onion, bay leaf, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes or so.
- Puree the pumpkin. If the pumpkin hasn't finished cooking in the oven at this point, turn off the heat on the pan and wait until it has finished. Then, let the pumpkin cool enough so you can handle it. Peel off the skin with a spoon or knife, break it into pieces, and add to a food processor. Process until smooth, with a splash or two of water, as needed. Measure out 2 cups and save any extra for another use.
- Make the sauce and pasta. Fill a large pot with water and set over high heat to boil. In the meantime, pour the wine in the pan and simmer over medium heat until reduced in half. Add the broth and pumpkin, bring to a simmer, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. When the pot of water is boiling, add several pinches of salt and your pasta. Cook until al dente, then drain.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the half and half and cheese into the sauce. Cook for another couple of minutes, then remove the bay leaf, taste and add salt, if needed. When done, serve the pasta topped with the pumpkin sage sauce and additional shredded cheese and sage leaves.
Notes
For a richer sauce, use heavy cream in place of half and half.
To save time, roast and puree the pumpkin up to 2 days in advance. Or, use a can of pumpkin puree.
If you're feeling ambitious and have the extra time, lightly fry whole sage leaves in olive oil until crispy and serve as a garnish to your pasta.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
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Kelly says
I made this pretty much according to the recipe as presented, my only tweaks: skipped the sausage and wine, added 1/2 tsp of ground cayenne, and used whipping cream instead of half and half. I also minced a little baked pumpkin to sprinkle on top of the pasta (penne) with the parm and added a few toasted pumpkin seeds as well. Oh, I bumped up the herbs a bit too, I like lots of flavour. I’m sure if I made it exactly as written here it would have been marvelous. I just made it a bit more marvelous … splendicious!
Steve says
That all sounds delicious, Kelly! Happy to hear you enjoyed it.