Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces of pasta (penne, rigatoni, or rotini work best)
- 1 pound of lean ground turkey
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can (15 ounces) of pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup of beef or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon of dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Fresh parsley or sage for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, but save about half a cup of the starchy pasta water just in case you need to thin the sauce later.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook it until it is no longer pink, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet with the turkey. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until you can smell it clearly.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Stir in the pumpkin puree, beef broth, dried sage, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix everything well until the sauce is smooth and starts to simmer gently.
- Pour in the heavy cream and half of the parmesan cheese. Stir constantly until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 5 minutes so the flavors can blend together.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss the pasta thoroughly so every piece is coated in the creamy pumpkin sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
- Taste the pasta and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve hot, topped with the remaining parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes