Spicy Pumpkin Rigatoni with Sausage & Kale
9
Points®
Total time: 35 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 15 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
A good hit of crushed red pepper flakes lends a bold backbone to the full-flavoured sauce that coats chunky rigatoni pasta and crumbled Italian sausage. The secret to the sauce is canned pumpkin, which delivers a rich, creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that pairs well with the spice. Be sure to use a large pan (such as a Dutch oven) to cook the pasta; you’ll be adding 6 cups of kale to it for the last few minutes.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 spray(s)
Uncooked rigatoni
7 oz
Kale
6 cup(s), curly variety, chopped
Onion
1 cup(s)
Crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp(s)
Garlic
3 clove(s), large, minced
Uncooked sweet Italian turkey sausage
6 oz
Pumpkin puree
⅔ cup(s)
Fat free evaporated milk
½ cup(s)
Canned tomato paste
1 tbsp(s)
Kosher salt
¾ tsp(s)
No salt added canned tomato sauce
8 oz
Grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup(s), divided
Instructions
1
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to the package directions, adding the kale for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Scoop out and reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain the pasta.
2
Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium. Add the onion, pepper flakes, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sausage to the pan; cook until the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in the pumpkin, milk, tomato paste, salt, and tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the pasta mixture and ¼ cup reserved pasta water to the pan; stir gently to combine. Stir in 2 tbsp cheese and additional pasta water, if needed. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
3
Serving size: 1 ¼ cups pasta and 1 ½ tsp cheese
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