Fall Comforts

October seems to have taken me by surprise, I thought it had just arrived but already two full weeks have passed. I think the combination of a wedding anniversary and a small job promotion have kept me preoccupied lately. But never too preoccupied to eat of course..

With all the beautiful gourds abounding on every corner I'm finding it hard to stay away from traditional fall dishes like potato leek soup, chicken pot pies, and pumpkin bread. So creamy pumpkin pasta sauce is right up my alley these days.

Fresh pasta is hard to beat and the taste is incomparable up against dried versions. You could even get pumpkin stuffed tortellini like I did and really amp up the pumpkin flavor but a traditional cheese stuffing is perfect too. If you only have dry on hand then penne makes a great substitution. By cooking the rosemary in the oil first you'll infuse the rest of the dish with a subtle rosemary flavor and don't discard them either, they make a great garnish.

By using half and half instead of milk it will give you a richer sauce but using a low fat milk works well too and cuts out a lot of calories. This is a simple weeknight dinner that takes no time at all to come together and will satisfy those autumn comfort cravings.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
4 servings

12 oz fresh tortellini or ravioli 
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 med shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
1/3 grated Parmesan
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and cook according to directions (if using fresh pasta cooking time will be shorter). Reserve 2 cups pasta water.

2. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add rosemary and fry until it begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove rosemary with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel, set aside. With the hot oil add minced shallot and garlic to saucepan and heat through until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree, milk, Parmesan, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup pasta water. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened. Add more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Drain the pasta, add to saucepan and stir well to coat. Spoon onto individual plates and top with fried rosemary, grated Parmesan, and red pepper flakes if desired.