Quick Pumpkin-Sage Pasta {#12WksWinterSquash}

If you have any extra cans of pumpkin hanging around your house, this fast and easy pasta is a great way to use them up. From Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon, it's a healthy vegan dish that is on table in the time it takes to boil pasta and has a pretty orange color with a wonderful sage flavor.  

Quick Pumpkin-Sage Pasta 
Slightly Adapted from Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon 
(Serves 2)

4 oz pasta
3/4 cup low-sodium veggie broth
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 to 2 Tbsp minced fresh sage
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice (omitted)
(I added 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon & a pinch of dried thyme)
pinch dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
vegan Parmesan to garnish (optional)

Make pasta according to package directions.

In a small saucepan, mix pumpkin, veggie broth, sage and spices together and heat over low about 5 minutes, until warmed through. Taste and add more sage and salt and black pepper to taste. Cover sauce and allow to rest off of heat for 10 minutes in order to blend flavors and slightly thicken.

Stir sauce into cooked pasta. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with vegan Parmesan if desired. 

Nutritional Info (with 2 oz pasta): Calories: 262, Fat: 2.4g, Carbohydrates: 51g, Fiber: 8.2 g, Sugars: 5.3g,  Protein: 10g

Notes/Results: Creamy, herby, and as Lindsay Dixon says in the book, it "really captures the taste of autumn." I had concerns it might be too soupy, but the sauce sets up some and the pasta absorbs it. Instead of whole wheat pasta, I used the Barilla Plus rotini that I had on hand. It isn't as heavy as whole wheat but still has 4 grams of fiber per serving. With that and the pumpkin, this is a fiber-friendly dish and has a decent amount of protein too. For the spices, don't tell anyone but I really dislike pumpkin pie spice (yes, that means I don't like pumpkin pie either--GASP!) ;-) so I added some thyme because I like it with squash and a little ground cinnamon for that added 'sweet and warm' spice flavor. This is super fast, healthy and tastes great too--I would make it again.

This is my Week 6 dish for the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash Event hosted by my friends Heather and Joanne. Feel free to link up your winter squash dishes during the week at the linky below--or on any one of the other participating blogs.