Dining In - Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Crispy Sage and Toasted Pecans

Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Crispy Sage and Toasted Pecans - Chef Chloe

In the spirit of fall, it's time for pumpkin! I love autumn, at least for the first couple of weeks :) the chill in the air, pumpkins on doorsteps, apple cider, the flame-colored leaves. Life got a little busy with summer and I got a little lazy, so there wasn't as much cooking these past few weeks. However, I'm back at it!

I found this recipe on Chloe Coscarelli's website (link here). I was excited for this creamy pumpkin-sweet pasta dish. It was simple to prepare - requiring a pot for the pasta, skillet for the onions and garlic, and a blender for the sauce. Overall I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. It had a kick to it, from the garlic and nutmeg, and it was a little soupier than I had hoped. I still gobbled it right up and loved the toasted pecans, something I'd never tried with pasta. I'll let you be the judge - if you're a fan of pumpkin it's certainly worth a shot!



16 oz. (1 lb.) penne pasta

Pumpkin Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can organic pumpkin (found at Trader Joe's, see photo)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups plain almond milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3 teaspoons sea salt (would reduce this a tad next time)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Crispy Sage
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 sage leaves


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic to skillet and cook for about two more minutes, until you can smell the garlic. Remove from heat.

To Prepare Pumpkin Cream Sauce:

In a blender, add cooked onion and garlic, pumpkin, tomato paste, almond milk, nutmeg, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Blend until all combined - sauce will be a light orange color.

To Prepare Crispy Sage:

To crisp the sage leaves, heat oil in a skillet on low-medium. Add sage leaves and watch while cooking to avoid burning. Flip after about a minute. Remove after other side has crisped and put on a plate with a paper towel.

To prepare pasta dish, toss pasta with sauce, toasted pecans, and fresh sage, then garnish with crispy sage.