What is the first thing you think about when I say “pumpkin?” Dessert..right? Well I am here to share with you a pumpkin pasta perfect for dinner.
16oz Box of Rigatoni
1 tsp. Olive Oil
5 Strips of Bacon (chopped)
1/2 Onion (diced)
1/2 Cup of Pumpkin Puree
1/8 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
3/4 Cup of Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup of Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
6 Sage Leaves (Chopped)
Salt & Pepper
Take a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Add Rigatoni and cook for 1 min less then the cooking time it specifies on the box. After it is done drain pasta and place into a big bowl and set aside.
As the pasta is cooking.. Grab a large skillet and set to medium heat. Add the chopped bacon pieces and cook until bacon is golden brown. Then take the bacon pieces and place onto a plate layered with paper towels and set aside.
Using the same skillet with the leftover bacon grease add the diced onion. Cook for 2-3 min until onions are translucent.
Now add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, heavy cream and chicken stock. Stir for 5-7 min until sauce is thick.
Lastly add the Parmesan cheese, chopped sage, salt and pepper.
Take your finished sauce and pour over your rigatoni and mix the pasta until it comes together.
Finish with more Parmesan cheese and bacon pieces.
TIPS:
I had fun trying out a new pasta shape! Rigatoni worked really well to keep the sauce coated all over the noodle. I guess you could use any shape you want, but I would suggest using a noddle like Penne, Campanelle or medium shells.
Cooking the pasta 1 min less is a trick I learned from Mario Batali. Now no, I haven’t met him in person. But watching “The Chew” he always says this tip when cooking pasta. You do this so that the pasta comes out “al dente” which means perfectly cooked with a small bite to the pasta.
Make sure your skillet is not too HOT! I said to use medium which if you have a dial temperature gauge with numbers I use 4. Why? You don’t want the bacon grease to burn. You want it to stay at a golden brown color before adding the onions. If the grease gets too dark it makes your sauce bitter and the flavor of the bacon is lost. Gentle heat is the key!
You can use chicken stock from a can, box or bouillon cube. Whatever you have on hand or the cheapest for your budget.. go for it!
Please use FRESH PARMESAN CHEESE! Go out and buy the wedge Parmesan cheese that you hand grate. Don’t even think about pre-shredded! Already pre-shredded cheese won’t melt properly in the sauce, it will leave grains that don’t give off a great texture. You should be able to find the wedge Parmesan cheese next to the Mozzarella cheese and Italian Ravioli.
If you don’t know how to approach chopping up the sage leaves, then use the “Chiffonade” cutting technique. Stack your leaves one on top of the other and then roll them up into a tight bundle. Now cut from one end to the other creating “ribbons.” Perfect technique for cutting up any type herbs.
Out of The Box Cooking 