Creamy Pumpkin Sage Sausage Pasta, easy dinner recipe with pumpkin, Jimmy Dean sausage, cheese, mushrooms, and pasta. Delicious fall recipe!
Creamy Pumpkin Sage Sausage Pasta an easy homemade fall family dinner recipe. Oh how I love pumpkin! And from all the recent comments and emails from all of you, sounds like many of you love pumpkin too!! This Creamy Pumpkin Sage Sausage Pasta came about because I had to make dinner quick and I went on a rampage to see what I had around the house. Next thing I knew I had a roll of Jimmy Dean sausage and can of pumpkin in my hand! This pasta dish is almost like a Macaroni & Cheese and would be perfect for a quick dinner or even a Thanksgiving side dish. It doesn’t take long to make and savory pumpkin dishes are the best this time of year! Hope you enjoy!
This Creamy Pumpkin Sage Sausage Pasta be made in 30 minutes or less. It really is “snappy”! First put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat to bring to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, start making the sauce for your pasta. I started with some sage pork sausage. It was soooo yummy with the pumpkin!! But if you don’t like sage, you could also us reduced fat sausage or any variety.
I put the sausage, mushrooms, and garlic in a large skillet all together over medium-high heat and broke up the sausage and cooked it until the sausage was cooked through and mushrooms were soft. You can add a little oil to the pan, but the sausage gives off enough fat so that nothing should stick too much. No need to use separate pans for everything or cook things separately unless you want to. I wanted to speed things up a bit and it worked fine all in the same pan at the same time!
Once the sausage and mushrooms are cooked through, drain off any excess fat, then place pan back over medium-high heat. Add the chicken broth and pumpkin and stir to combine.
Then add the cream cheese and Swiss cheese and continue to stir. Sargento makes a Swiss cheese that is already shredded so you don’t have to take the time to shred. It worked great! It may take a little while for the cheeses to melt but don’t worry it will come together. Doesn’t look very appetizing at this point but hang in there!
Keep stirring until it all comes together. Then add a dash of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and keep the sauce warm while the pasta finishes. Always keep your sauce waiting for your pasta and NOT your pasta waiting for your sauce. That’s my little Italian bit of advice for the day… :)
While the sauce is just finishing up, cook your pasta. I let my kids pick out some pasta at the grocery store and they HAD to have these cute little Piccolini Mini Rotelle Wheels! Also a great trick to get them to try this dish since THEY picked out the pasta!
Add your pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.
To serve you can garnish with fresh chopped chives or sage if you’d like. Yummy!
This is a perfect fall dish and would also be great as a Thanksgiving side dish for a different twist on the usual Macaroni & Cheese!
Hope you enjoy! You might also like this Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo or Sundried Tomato Herb Chicken & Pasta!
Creamy Pumpkin Sage Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
- 8 ounces crimini or button mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (not sweetened and not pumpkin pie filling)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is ok or regular), cubed
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- Dash ground nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 pound pasta
- Fresh chives or sage for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
- Meanwhile, add sausage, mushrooms, and garlic to a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage with fork, and cook everything, stirring frequently about 4-6 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and sausage is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
- Add chicken broth and pumpkin to pan and stir to combine. Mix in cubes of cream cheese and Swiss cheese and stir to combine until cheese has all melted and mixture is smooth. Might appear chunky for a little while, but keep stirring and it will come together. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to keep sauce warm.
- When sauce is just about done, cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir to combine.
- Garnish pasta with chives or sage if desired.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Mary Beth says
I hate when comments on a recipe begin with “It was good, but I changed everything.” So I am sorry to admit that I had to tweak this recipe from the original version. I made this dish last night for my mom and I. No sausage as we are both vegetarian. I love the idea of putting pumpkin in..well, everything. It is so good for you and tis the season. I thought that it was pretty good but I don’t know if I would make it again. I might have lost some of the flavor not having the sausage in there. Are you sure about the swiss cheese? Does the meat make this combo work better? I thought that I would try it again but with a smoked gouda. I thought that the swiss just gave it a funny after taste.
Thank you for pro pumpkin recipes.
Lisa Huff says
Yes, you probably did lose a lot of flavor and texture not using the sausage. You are of course welcome to use any kind of cheese or substitutes you’d like though but your results will be quite different. :)
Danielle | Krafted Koch says
This looks so unique and delicious!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Danielle!
Meagan says
Yummy! We just made this again tonight. My husband LOVED it after a long day of hunting. I doubled the sausage for him.
Marie says
Hi,
This recipe looks great and easy to make! How would it hold up as a contribution to an office Thanksgiving potluck? Is it something that can be made overnight and reheated in a microwave before the party?
Lisa Huff says
It’s been awhile since I’ve made this but I think it would be ok. I won’t be as good as making it fresh but I think it would still be good. It might soak up a lot of the sauce in the fridge overnight which will taste great but may dry it out a bit so you may want to keep a little bit of the sauce in a container and mix before heating up the next day. Hope you like!
Danielle says
YUMMY! I want to try this :) it looks delicious :) but what I want to know is how the kids liked it haha.
snappygourmet says
My kids & husband all liked it until I told them there was pumpkin in it!!! So when I made it again I just didn’t tell them. :)
Meagan says
I am making this for supper and my kitchen smells heavenly!!!! Thanks for the recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
snappygourmet says
Hope it turned out well for you!
Laurie says
You are so clever! This looks amazing…..and I love pumpkin too!
Lauren @ hey, who cut the cheese? says
This. looks. fabulous. I can’t wait to try it! I may have to omit the mushrooms to appease my husband, but otherwise this looks simply awesome. Thanks for sharing it!
Deb B says
Wow, this looks good! I love pumpkin, too.
Anna says
This looks really good! I may try is sans mushrooms
snappygourmet says
I love mushrooms, although I’m sure it would be good without or with another veggie or extra sausage. Can never have too much sausage!! :)