Pasta with Pumpkin and Whipped Ricotta
Pasta with Pumpkin and Whipped Ricotta is the perfect meal to impress guests effortlessly. This meal takes only twenty minutes to prepare, bt tastes like it took hours. Make this to impress a crowd the next time you are hosting!
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 1 cup white onion, diced (approx. 1 med.)
- 1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb turkey sausage, casings removed
- 1 + 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup light ricotta
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 lb cavatappi noodles or other pasta shape
- 1 cup shredded Italiano 4 cheese blend
- Optional toppings: shredded parmesan, red pepper flakes, fresh herbs
Instructions
- Bring a Dutch oven or large pot of water to a rolling boil. While you are heating the water, add at least a tsp salt. While we wait for the water to boil, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray the skillet with olive oil and add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions soften and garlic is fragrant. Next, remove the sausage from the casings and add to the skillet. Cook, breaking the sausage apart with the end of a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove the veggie and meat mixture from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
- By now, we should be ready to cook the pasta. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package direction. While the pasta cooks, combine ricotta with the canned pumpkin puree and fresh rosemary in a food processor. Blend on high until the pumpkin mixture is well combined and has a light and fluffy texture.
- As soon as the pasta is cooked to just before al dente, reserve at least one cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Add it back to the Dutch oven with the heat on low. Add your pumpkin ricotta mixture, cooked veggies and sausage, and reserved pasta water and mix well with the pasta. Continue to cook on low until the sauce is smooth and silky, adding a little more of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.
- Now turn off the heat and mix in your cheese in stages until all of your remaining mozzarella mixture is combined into the pasta. Top with some shredded parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!