Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce

By Alissa -
from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine

This was a nice change from the standard pasta dish. I served it as a side dish tonight, but it would also be good as a main dish. It was very easy and quick to throw together.

1 pound penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
2 T butter
1 onion, chopped
(next time I'll add a clove or two of chopped garlic)
salt & pepper
1 15-oz. can pure pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream (I used evaporated whole milk)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.
In the same pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion (and garlic, if using) and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and heavy cream and bring to a boil. Return the pasta to the pot, along with the reserved pasta water, and toss. Stir in the parmesan; season with salt & pepper. Top pasta with parsley and more parmesan to serve.

Comments

gwen said…
Do you often use evaporated milk in place of cream? Does it work? I substituted fat-free half and half in something recently, and it tasted good, but the ingredient list on that stuff a) includes HFCS and b) is totally gross.
4:03 PM
Alissa said…
Grg- this was the first time I tried it, at Kelly's suggestion, and it was fine. It's just milk, with much of the water evaporated. So, it's still creamy, and the only ingredient is milk, so it might be a better option for you. But ask Kel if you want another opinion - I think she uses it regularly in place of cream.
11:11 PM
Kelly said…
FF Half and Half is gross...it's corn syrup and other garbage--ick. I use skim or 2% evap milk in almost anything that requires cream, whole milk, etc. I use it for pancakes, baking, cooking, etc. It's what I use for mac and cheese and my grandma's sausage gravy. Mmm....sausage gravy....
12:48 AM
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