Pumpkin Sausage Pasta

Fall is my favorite time of year…weather turns a bit chilly, football season is in full swing and canned pumpkin hits the shelves in droves.  This delicious dairy free pumpkin pasta dish is the perfect Fall recipe… it may sound a bit odd, but the taste is a seasonal great.  It also works as a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

1 pound of sausage, cut in ½ inch pieces (you can use any type here, I like hot Italian in this dish)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 shallots, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 2oz package of sage leaves, chopped

1 cup of white wine

1 cup of chicken stock

1 can of 29 ounce pumpkin (be careful not to grab the pumpkin pie mix!)

¾ cup of Silk Soy Creamer

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

2 cups of mushrooms sliced (any variety works, I like a mix of shiitake and cremini)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Steps:  

1)      Add a few turns of EVOO to a large pan and on medium high heat.  Brown the sausage and transfer to plate.  Drain most of the fat from the pan and return to the stove, reduce heat to medium.

2)      Add as needed EVOO and add onion, garlic and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until tender.

3)  Add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have given off their water

4)      Add bay leaf, sage and wine and reduce wine by about half (approximately 3 minutes).  Add stock and pumpkin and bring sauce to a bubble.

5)      Return sausage to the mixture and add cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Reduce heat and let dish simmer together from about 5-10 minutes so sauce thickens up. Taste and season more if you prefer.  Serve with pasta.