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Doesn’t this look like mac ‘n cheese? I made this pumpkin mascarpone orecchiette with spicy sausage and broccolini and at the end, I totally thought it was a mac ‘n cheese fake out. When I was photographing this dish, Jason came over and was like, ‘oh! you made mac ‘n cheese!’ haha noooope.
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned in my pumpkin eggplant casserole with burrata that this pumpkin season, I was going to show you all the ways you could use pumpkin for savory dishes. This pumpkin mascarpone orecchiette with spicy sausage and broccolini is another way and boy, is it like pumpkin dinner dreams come true!
This past Saturday, we drove up to Pennsylvania for a family wedding. It was a super quick trip but we were able to see family and most importantly, we got to see Jason’s grandparents. Can you believe that his grandparents have been married for 71 years? We heard some really memorable and funny stores of his grandparents and the memories were just priceless. I caught a candid video on his grandpa being a kid at heart playing with bubbles. It was adorable!
We left Winston for the day and my friend came over to watch him. It was so sad because he freaked out because he thought it was going to be us returning but it was someone else that showed up. His ears were back and he was so scared he peed all over the pillow and his bed :( poor little guy. I hate leaving him.
Okay back to this glorious dinner. The pumpkin and mascarpone together is basically perfection. They’re both so creamy and together, they compliment each other so well. The spicy sausage gives this dish that spicy, salty bite and I’ve been a huge fan of broccolini these days so it got thrown in here too. Oh, and there is a surprise pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg that completely finishes this dish. Gah, I just know that you will absolutely love this pasta dish this Fall.
Omg. So cozy.
Pumpkin Mascarpone Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccolini
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (188 g) dried orecchiette pasta
- ¾ pounds (340 g) fresh spicy sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree
- 4 ounces (113 g) mascarpone cheese
- 2 cups (473 g) chopped broccolini
- Pinch of ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to the instructions on the box.2 1/2 cups (188 g) dried orecchiette pasta
- In the meantime, brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break into pieces with a wooden spoon.¾ pounds (340 g) fresh spicy sausage
- When the sausage is done cooking, if there is a lot of fat and oil, feel free to drain.
- Whisk pumpkin and mascarpone cheese into the skillet with the sausage and stir until mascarpone cheese has melted completely and the consistency is smooth.1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree, 4 ounces (113 g) mascarpone cheese
- Once pasta is done cooking, scoop it out of the pot with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet with the rest of the ingredients. Toss to coat pasta with the pumpkin, mascarpone and sausage mixture.
- Using the pasta liquid, blanch the broccolini for 3-4 minutes and then, using a slotted spoon, add the drained broccolini to the skillet.2 cups (473 g) chopped broccolini
- Add nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to the skillet and toss to incorporate everything.Pinch of ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon, Salt and pepper
- Serve and enjoy!
We fixed this when we had some pumpkin puree we needed to use up (9/26/20). Substitutes that work fine: Orecchiette pasta for any small formed pasta; Mascarpone cheese for cream cheese; broccolini for fresh, cut up broccoli. I’m reviewing from the USA. The recipe made (easily) enough for 6, so we’ll see how it does after being frozen. A green salad would round the meal off perfectly. Throws together at the last minute easily! Because I couldn’t find the exact “fresh spice sausage” I thought would work, I purchased a pound of mild and a pound of hot, mixed the 2, and then used ¾ lb. of it in the recipe. The rest was made into patties & frozen for future breakfasts.
This looks delicious and easy! I can’t wait to make it for dinner. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it!