Of course, I wanted all my fall cravings when it was impossible to find them.
I usually always make a meal with pumpkin or butternut squash. I just couldn’t think of a fun recipe this year until now. And Trader Joe’s sells a pumpkin pasta sauce that I love, but once October is over, everything pumpkin-related gets swiped off the counters.
So for my Friendsgiving dinner on Monday, I decided to experiment. I wanted something significantly fall. I wanted that pasta sauce, but I couldn’t have that. So I decided to try to make my own sauce. A better sauce; something a little savory and a little spicy.
Ingredients
- 3 TBS butter
- salt and pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Minced garlic
- onion powder
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 can chipotle peppers
I recently noticed I stopped measuring seasonings and measured by a bit of this and a bit of that. I literally hate that about myself.
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium heat, and add butter. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with the olive oil over medium heat, until the onion is soft and transparent.
- Add pumpkin puree, crushed tomatoes, and chipotle peppers, and seasonings. Stir until the ingredients are combined and smooth.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low Add the heavy whipping cream and cook for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Cook your favorite pasta according to package directions, and serve with pumpkin sauce on top.
I added spicy sausage to this, but you could also use chicken. For a little extra step I recommend adding a little grated Parmesan and a little cracked pepper, when you serve.
When I told everyone pumpkin was in the pasta, everyone kept expecting some sweet pumpkin-spiced mess. And I was like, guys; pumpkin is in the squash family.
The pumpkin and crushed tomatoes blend nicely with fresh herbs, then topped with heavy cream for the perfect creamy texture!
