Sausage and Pumpkin Baked Ziti

Slofoodgroup Team November 04, 2020

Baked Pasta with Italian Sausage and Pumpkin Sauce

Autumn creeps in and seems to beg for pumpkin recipes. We found a superb pumpkin baked pasta that absolutely won us over! Sausage and pumpkin baked pasta is for the fall season. It's rich, hearty, and loaded with deep flavors that warm and comfort!

To balance the sweetness in the pumpkin puree, it is incredibly important to incorporate dry white wine. The white wine contributes a much-needed acidity to the dish. It is also imperative to use the holy spice trio for any pumpkin dish, sweet or savory: cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Known as warming spices, their chemical compounds waft up the throat as a vapor into the nasal passage, which tricks the brain into thinking that the flavor comes from the tongue. In fact, that is not the case. The warming taste brings a note of sweetness without actually sweetening the dish, which is why it compliments the pumpkin so well.

 Italian Sausage and Rigatoni Baked in Savory Pumpkin Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3-4 cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried sage
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups cooked Rigatoni pasta 
• 1 mozzarella ball
• ½ cup shaved (or shredded) parmesan cheese 

1. Add the olive oil to a frying pan and add the caseless Italian sausages to it; break the sausage with a spatula and cook until brown.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until translucent; add the wine and cook for 3-5 minutes more; add the pumpkin puree, the stock, and heavy cream and mix well; add the herbs, spices, and condiments and cook on medium low with the lid on for 20 min.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni pasta al dente according to the package’s instructions.
4. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir well, making sure the pasta is well coated in the sauce.
5. Preheat oven at 220 C/428 F, fan on.
6. Transfer the pasta to an oven safe dish; crumble the mozzarella cheese on top; add the parmesan shavings and bake at 220 C/428 F, fan on for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and it is bubbly brown.