Flavors Of Fall Featuring Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

Have you ever tried pumpkin ravioli? The delicious flavors of pumpkin and spice smothered in a rich cream sauce is one of our guilty pleasures every season, and a sure treat when dining out. The most gratifying feeling for me is bringing home that dining out experience, without leaving our dining room.

I’m nothing if not realistic. As your run-of-the-mill home cook, I’m not up to the challenge of pasta-making, let’s not get silly. But I thought,” Why not try to eek out the same delicious flavors another way?”

I decided to try to replicate the flavors of a pumpkin ravioli in a pasta sauce to bring that delicious restaurant-quality flavor home. Think: deconstructed ravioli. (You hear “deconstructed” a lot on the cooking shows-TV chefs are forever “deconstructing...”)

An extra can of pumpkin puree from my pantry can in handy, and I doctored it up with cinnamon, sugar, ginger and nutmeg. With a pinch of cloves, my sauce was popping with the flavors of fall.

I created a rioux of equal parts butter and flour, and added some diced white onion to a saute pan, then slowly whisked in a cup of chicken stock. Once bubbling, I added the pumpkin mixture, folding it in to achieve a smooth consistency, and finally topped it off with a little light cream.

Any pasta will do, and I happened to have penne pasta, but use whatever you have on hand and cook it al dente, according to the instructions on the box. Once cooked and strained, add the cooked pasta directly into the saute pan to coat it in the rich, creamy sauce.

With just a few shakes of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and garnish of proscuitto, red peppers and parsley, this dish is ready to be devoured. My kids were thoroughly impressed, and didn’t leave a spot clear on their plates. How nice to indulge in a little fine dining, right at home! I hope you and yours like this dish as much as we did. Enjoy!

Penne With Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients

1 can pumpkin puree

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ tsp sugar

¼  tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 pinch cloves

1 tsp salt

1 T. flour

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

½ small white onion, diced

1 ½ c. chicken broth

¼ c. cream

1 box penne pasta

*grated cheese (parmesan or romano), to taste

⅛  c. chopped parsley

⅛ c. red pepper, diced

¼ c. proscuitto, chopped

*salt, to taste