I stocked up on canned pumpkin and found myself wondering what I could cook with them besides desserts and breads. On Saturday I found this sausage and pumpkin recipe in my Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine. Since I wanted to use 2 cups (a whole can) of canned pumpkin, I decided to modify and double the recipe I discovered with a few changes and additives.
Here is the tasty end result:
Sausage, Mushroom and Pumpkin Pasta
(Serves 10 to 12)
3 cups of pasta (I used elbow macaroni, whole wheat)
1 lb (14 oz) of pre-cooked turkey sausage, chopped into small pieces
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cans (10 oz) of cream of mushroom soup, fat free
1 can (15 oz) of pumpkin
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 large red onion
1/2 cup of cooking white wine
1/2 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dashes of salt and pepper, to taste
Cook your pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, generously grease a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook sausage onion, garlic and mushroom soup for about ten minutes. Transfer the contents into a large pot that has been greased at the bottom. (You'll need more room than a skillet for the next several steps).
In the large pot, add in the chicken broth, white wine, canned pumpkin, Parmesan cheese, oregano, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture forms a sauce texture that looks like this:
Isn't this a beautiful color pasta sauce? The orange from the pumpkin gives it a fun, festive fall feel. (Say that three times in a row without fail, I dare you!)
Drain your cooked pasta. Then add it to the sausage-mushroom-pumpkin saunce once it looks similar to the above photo. Mix the pasta well and add the 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
Serve in pasta bowls and enjoy. We ate ours with a side of green beans and garlic bread. Yummy!
This recipe makes A LOT! You may want to consider cutting it in half or just freeze 2/3 of it like I did!
To reheat, defrost in fridge overnight or in microwave. Add additional chicken broth, water and cheeses if needed.
(Cook's note: This recipe has more of a mushroom and garlic flavor than a pumpkin taste. I find the pumpkin to very subtle, more as an undertone. You can however use less or more of any of the above ingredients to make it work for your family. I bet your kids will try it, simply because it looks like macaroni and cheese. It has a VERY different flavor though and much less fat!)
(Fun fact: Every year I forget whether pumpkin is considered to be a fruit or a vegetable. I usually think of it as fruit because of it's sweet nature. However, many other people call it a vegetable because it's a member of the squash family. Web resources say the following: The pumpkin is a member of the squash family, and, though it is treated like a vegetable, it is technically a fruit. The reason a pumpkin is a fruit is because it grows on a vine and contains seeds.)
This looks good - i may have to try it. Do you think turkey kielbasa would be ok? I got lots of it :)
ReplyDeleteI think any sausage would work fine in this! Good luck. Let me know how it turns out!
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