Creamy sausage pasta in pumpkin, sage and mascarpone sauce
Created with autumnal comfort food in mind, this creamy sausage pasta dish makes for a great way to use up any leftover pumpkin after Halloween.Sage-stuffed Edwards of Conwy Pork Cumberland sausages are teamed with homemade pumpkin, sage and mascarpone pasta sauce and fusilli twirls, finished with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and sage leaves for a hearty autumn meal that'll be on the table in less than an hour.If you can get your hands on some canned pumpkin, there's no reason why you can't enjoy this at any time of the year!
Servings 4
Calories 557kcal
Cost $3
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Baking paper/parchment
- Oven tray
- Blender or food processor
- Frying pan
- Cooking tongs
- Sauce pan/s
- Colander
- Cheese grater
Ingredients
- 300 g pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt to taste (plus extra to add to the pasta and roast the pumpkin)
- 8 Edwards of Conwy Cumberland sausages
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1.5 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 celery stalks finely chopped
- 50 ml dry white wine
- 1 tsp nduja or dried red chilli flakes
- 100 g mascarpone cheese
- 300 g pasta shapes
To garnish
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan grated
- Sage leaves
- 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- If you're using fresh pumpkin as opposed to canned pumpkin, start cooking this first. If using canned pumpkin, skip this step. Slice the pumpkin in half carefully using a sharp knife, scoop out the seeds, rub the pumpkin all over with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt, and bake in the oven at 175° for around 45 minutes, until tender. Once cooked, peel off the skin (you might need to allow it to cool a little first!) and cut the pumpkin into chunks. Transfer the pumpkin chunks to a blender or food processor and blitz to form a smooth puree.
- Around 20 minutes into roasting your pumpkin, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the sausages over medium heat for 14-16 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan with tongs and transfer to a plate to rest.
- As the sausages are cooking, melt the butter in a frying pan and saute the shallots, garlic, sage, carrot and celery for 8-10 minutes, until softened.
- Pour in the white wine and allow the sauce to reduce down.
- Add the pureed pumpkin and nduja or chilli flakes and blitz the mixture together in a blender until smooth.
- Stir through the mascarpone and continue to cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes until melted, stirring continuously.
- Slice the cooked Cumberland sausages to around one centimetre-wide and add to the sauce.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta until firm (al dente) and drain, stirring a splash of pasta water into the sauce to bring it all together.
- Stir the sauce through the cooked pasta, and garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, sage leaves and freshly ground black pepper to serve.
Notes
- If you prefer, you can remove the sausagemeat from its casing and cook it in the pan prior to preparing the pasta sauce, removing it from the pan with a slotted spoon once cooked and adding it back into the pan afterward.
- While October is the obvious time of year to eat pumpkin, it's entirely possible to source pumpkin year-round in the form of canned or pureed pumpkin. You can usually find it in the American section of your local supermarket or in American candy stores like Americandy. If you're in a hurry or feeling particularly lazy, using canned pumpkin is also much quicker and easier than hacking up a pumpkin, cooking the flesh, and pureeing it in the blender.
- Don't throw away your pumpkin seeds! Instead, rinse them off and dry them thoroughly. Then, toss them in olive oil and sea salt and place them in a hot oven on a tray lined with baking paper for around 15-10 minutes, until crisp and crunchy. Delicious!
Nutrition
Calories: 557kcal