Recipe: Harvest Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta

This week I have the opportunity for an article to track down my eats and workouts.  I figured during this project I would share with you all one of the recipes I have made myself this week, which is perfect for the fall weather that maybe approaching us next week.  

As many of you may know I like to eat what is in season.  That way I get the freshest out of the product and know I am consuming something natural and not mass produced.  All of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at the local farmers market this time of year.

I call this recipe:

Harvest Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 cup pumpkin puree (I roasted a pumpkin to use or you can buy canned)

1 cup vegetable broth

8 oz mushrooms

1/2 medium red onion

2 cloves garlic cloves

1 cup chopped spinach

4 TBS cooking oil (I used sunflower cooking oil)

garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

2 sausages of choice (I used chicken sausage, hormone and nitrate free)

Directions:

First you must bake your spaghetti squash.  I always find this to vary each time I bake one.  It all depends on the size of your squash.  Begin by cutting the squash lengthwise in half.  Place aluminum foil onto a baking pan and place the squash flesh side down (after you scoop out the seeds).  Bake at 375-400 degrees for 40-60 minutes.  After you are able to easily pierce a fork through the skin, take squash out to cool.  After cooling, take a fork and fork out the fresh into strings.  This is your pasta part of the dish.  (You can always use regular pasta and follow the directions on package).

In a large skillet, put 2 TBS oil and heat on medium.  While pan heats up add together your pumpkin and broth in a bowl and set aside. Once pan is hot place mushrooms and onions into pan.  Cook for 5ish minutes or until onions become translucent. At about the 2 minute mark if you feel like the pan is getting dry (like me and don't want to add more oil) then add some of your veggie broth and pumpkin mixture to moisten the veggies.  After the 5ish minutes add in crushed garlic cloves and cook for an additional minute.

To skillet, add the rest of the pumpkin mixture, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Turn heat down to a simmer.  Add in chopped spinach.  While the mixture is simmering, take an additional skillet and put the remainder of the oil in the skillet.  Once warm, cook the sausage.  (you can also use vegan or veggie sausage too or no sausage at all).

Once the sausage is done, take a fork and pierce the sausage to move to other skillet...don't bring extra oil with you, unless you prefer it that way.

Grab a bowl and put in about a cup of spaghetti squash pasta.  On top of your pasta put as much as your pumpkin, mushroom, sausage mixture you feel desired.  I would guess I put roughly a cup, but made sure to get one whole sausage and lots of veggies.

Here are the directions in photo form.

Spaghetti Squash baked

Mushrooms and Onions

Pumpkin and Broth mixture

Mushrooms and Onions cooking with a little pumpkin mixture

Chicken Sausage

The rest of pumpkin mixture and Spinach added

Final Result. ( Sorry brown doesn't ever photograph well.)

  Pasta hidden underneath, I forgot to snap a photo after I mixed it together.  My hunger got the best of me.

Enjoy this nice fall recipe along side some great wine as a treat!