And now, for something...slightly different.

Okay, so this is another pumpkin recipe (yes, I am aware I have a bit of an obsession), but there is something different about this one.  It's SAVORY!  Pumpkin is, after all, a squash, something we usually consider to be more akin to vegetables and suited for dinner rather than dessert or breakfast.  So it's definitely time to pay tribute to how well pumpkin blends with savory fall flavors.

Pumpkin pasta sauce is something I discovered years ago when my half-roommate would always come over and we would cook for ourselves and my two full roommates.  I've always had an obsession with recipes.  From the time I was little, I loved looking through my mom's recipe box and dozens of cookbooks (okay, so maybe this is an inherited trait).  I believe I have mentioned before my current obsession with foodgawker.com.  But before I found that, my main point of obsession was epicurious.com.  I have hundreds of recipes saved on there to try, and hundreds more saved on my phone app.  It was great to have people to cook for and with to try out all these recipes.  This was one recipe I had saved, and though we followed the recipe for the most part, we also immediately modified it by adding asparagus and lamb shanks.  That definitely made for a decadent meal, but perhaps too much so.

Over time, I have tweaked it a bit more, to suit my tastes and available ingredients.  This is one of those beautiful recipes that can be treated as a blank canvas to make your own.  I've decided that my favorite way is to add bacon and sage to make it that much more fall-tasting. 

Pumpkin Pasta adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 3 strips bacon
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 lb shaped pasta suitable for catching sauce (orecchietti, radiatori, fusilli, farfalle, etc.)

Dice bacon slices.  Saute in a large skillet over medium high heat until cooked but not crisp  Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic, and saute until onion is translucent.  Add pumpkin, chicken broth, half and half, and spices.  Simmer over medium low heat while you cook the pasta (at least 10 minutes).  Once the pasta is al dente, reserve some of the cooking water and drain.  Add to the sauce and toss, adding pasta water to thin if needed.