sausage and pumpkin baked pasta

To me, there is nothing more comforting than baked pasta. It's supremely easy, with so many different ways to make it new and exciting.

Just looking at it makes me feel cozy!

After I saw Leave a Happy Plate's recipe, I couldn't get the combination out of my head. Perhaps this had to do with the fact that I've had a can of pumpkin lying around forever. And now was a great chance to use it! Spicy sausage, pumpkin, cheese...it sounded promising. Plus, I think I'm finally succumbing to the fact that fall is here. Denial can only sustain itself for so long.

The dreaded can.

While pumpkin may seem an odd flavor to shove into a pasta, baking in this recipe has the effect of taking a bunch of rowdy, quarrelsome children and making them sit in a corner and make nice with each other. In the oven, something magical happens, and the assertive sweetness of pumpkin dims, the tomato fades into the background, and the cheesiness and creaminess of the pasta is amplified. The poblano and sausage provides some smokiness. When you take it out, you get a totally comforting, totally typically fall dish, and the head-scratch-worthy combination of flavors is getting along like they've always been the best of friends--we just never knew about it.

~*~

Inspired by/adapted from Leave a Happy Plate

4 spicy Italian sausages (or sausages of your choosing), cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 lb mini farfalle pasta (regular size farfalle or macaroni elbows would work nicely too)

1/2 red onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp fresh rosemary

2 tsp fresh thyme

1 cup water

1/2 a can of pumpkin or about 1.5 cups roasted pumpkin

1 tbsp tomato paste

3/4 cup Daiya vegan shredded cheddar cheese (I like it because it melts into the dish really nicely, but you could use regular cheddar if you want)

2 tbsp butter

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 365 degrees and put on some water for your pasta.

Slice and dice.

Brown sausages. Remove from pan and add in red onion, poblano and red bell pepper. Once onions are translucent and pepper is soft, add sausage back in.

Once liquid from veggies is almost gone, add in pumpkin and tomato paste. Stir in 1/2 a cup of water. Add worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme.

Start your pasta. I used mini-farfalle, which take about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on your sauce--taste for salt and add some if needed. Once the pasta is still just a little bit al dente, mix it into your sauce. Mix in your Daiya cheese and your butter. Add water, if necessary, until consistency of sauce is smooth but not too watery.

If you have a skillet, put it right in the oven. Otherwise, transfer to a baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes, until bubbling merrily. Serve hot.