Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

Ever since our honeymoon I have wanted to try and replicate one of the best dishes we have ever eaten. We had a pasta in a pumpkin cream sauce that was just out of this world. It wasn’t too pumpkin-y but had just a nice rounded out flavor. So I went in search and found this recipe on the Washington Post. This pasta was really good. Like an alfredo with a hint of pumpkin. While it didn’t taste like the one from our honeymoon, it was a really great fall dinner. I also made this a little lighter by using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream.

Source: Washington Post Adapted from “The Ski House Cookbook,” by Tina Anderson and Sarah Pinneo

Ingredients:
Fettucine Noodles, or pasta of your choice
1 medium vidalia onion, minced

3 medium cloves garlic
2 sprigs sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat free half & half
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sald and pour in the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they have softened. Stir in the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, half & half, and 1/2 of the sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep warm on the lowest setting.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, then add 2 tablespoons of the cheese and mix well. Serve and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and the remaining sage.