Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• rotini pasta (1 pound)
• sweet Italian sausage (1 pound)
• olive oil (2 tablespoons)
• diced onion (1 cup)
• minced garlic (1 tablespoon)
• red pepper flakes (1 teaspoon)
• chicken broth (2.5 cups)
• pumpkin puree (1 (15 ounce) can)
• crumbled cooked bacon (2 tablespoons)
• Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons)
• salt (1 teaspoon)
• heavy whipping cream (1 cup)
• grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
3. Cook and stir sausage in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain sausage on paper towels and reserve 2 tablespoons grease in the skillet. Add oil to grease in the skillet; cook and stir onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the hot oil-grease until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir chicken broth, pumpkin, bacon, Italian seasoning, and salt into onion mixture; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir cream and sausage into broth mixture and simmer until creamy and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add rotini and gently toss. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Nutrition

(*Nutrition data is approximate and may vary depending on the brand and type of ingredients used.)

• kcal: 381
• fat: 20 g
• sats: 9 g
• carbs: 35 g
• fibre: 3 g
• protein: 15 g
• salt: 993 g