- 16 oz. dried radiatore pasta
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage - mild, sweet, or hot
- ½ cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
- 2 cups chopped mini sweet peppers
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine/chicken broth
- 2 cups pumpkin or squash puree - I used honeynut squash puree
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 3 cups tightly packed chopped kale
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. (You can reserve some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce later.)
Over medium heat, brown the sausage in a sauté pan. Break up any clumps and brown until slightly golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped peppers and sauté for about 1 minute. Toss in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the white wine or chicken broth and scrape off any stuck-on browned bits from the pan.
Add the pumpkin or squash pureee and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Add the Parmesan cheese in batches, stirring until the cheese melts smoothly into the sauce. If needed, thin the sauce with the reserved pasta water - adding a tablespoon or two at a time.
Add the chopped kale and season with the Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Add the cooked sausage and pasta to the pan and toss to fully coat in the sauce. Serve hot.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes