Delicious pumpkin alla vodka sauce pasta made with pancetta, herbs and spicy sausage cooked in red wine. Traditional tomato vodka sauce with a pumpkin spice twist. Italian pasta night with all the wonderful flavors of fall perfect for family dinners or Saturday night get together!

Luscious pumpkin vodka sauce made with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, pumpkin puree, heavy cream, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to amplify those fall flavors, simmered in fresh herbs like sage and thyme to create that perfect aromatic bite!

Pasta to us screams comfort food. We have pasta on rare occasions when we feel like treating ourselves to a delicious comforting meal. This is also the perfect dish for those of you who love to adult on Halloween you can treat yourself to this indulgent pasta dish, get nice and cozy by the fire, pour yourself a glass of wine and put on your favorite Halloween thriller! Doesn’t that sound AMAZING!

How do you make homemade vodka sauce?

First we start by browning the onions and the pancetta (don’t worry you can use thick cut bacon). Once the bacon is cooked, stir in your garlic (we always go heavy on the garlic) and fresh sage and next it’s time to add in your vodka! The sauce only requires ½ cup and you want to make sure you let the sauce simmer for at least 30 minutes that way the alcohol is completely cooked down. Next you want to add your San Marzano tomatoes. You’ll want to crush these with your hands over the pan to avoid big chunks of tomato. Add in the pumpkin puree, salt & pepper, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Finish the sauce with loads of freshly grated Parmesan and heavy cream. Season to taste. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes.

Lets talk pasta!

What kind of pasta works best here? We went with small rigatoni pasta, the ones with the ridges which helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Penne is always a classic but bow tie pasta works well. Try to choose a pasta that the sauce will stick and really coat everything.

The toppings!

We kept things simple and served our pasta with spicy Italian sausages cooked in red wine. Spicy crumbled sausage always works so well in pasta. Pan sear and crumble the sausage until golden brown, add some crushed San Marzano tomatoes, oregano and a splash of red wine, it’s as simple as that!

This is definitely one of our fall favorites this year, we hope you guys give it a try!

Don’t forget to share on Instagram and tag us!

@thecommunalfeast

Print Recipe

PUMPKIN ALLA VODKA PASTA WITH SPICY SAUSAGE

Delicious pumpkin alla vodka sauce pasta made with pancetta, herbs and spicy sausage cooked in red wine. Traditional tomato vodka sauce with a pumpkin spice twist. Italian pasta night with all the wonderful flavors of fall perfect for family dinners or Saturday
night get together!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Servings: 5 -6

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ small yellow onion finely diced
• ½ lb pancetta diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves minced
• ½ cup vodka
• 1 can San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh sage
• 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 12 oz spicy Italian sausages casing removed, ground meat
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup red wine choose one you like the taste, nothing expensive, I used a Merlot
• Cooked pasta for serving
• Fresh chopped basil for garnish
• Extra grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions

• 1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and pancetta and cook over medium heat until onions have softened and pancetta is crispy, about 4 minutes. Add in 3 sage leaves.
• 2. Add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant.
• 3. Add the vodka, give it a good stir, next add the San Marzano tomatoes crushing the whole tomato with your hands over the pot as you add them in. (I crushed about 4-5 tomatoes)
• 4. Bring the pot to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
• 5. Add the heavy cream and grated Parmesan, a handful of fresh thyme. Season to taste and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• 6. While the sauce simmers, its time to cook the sausage.
• 7. To a pan heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Next add the spicy Italian sausage, removed from the casing and cook until the sausage turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. Be sure to crumble the sausage with a wooden spoon while its cooking, breaking it down into small
  pieces. Next add the, dried oregano and San Marzano tomatoes, Crush 3 tomatoes with your hands over the pan. Add a splash of red wine and let is sizzle out. Simmer the sausage in the wine for about 15 minutes.
• 8. Cook the pasta according to the on the package.
• 9. Add the pasta to the sauce in increments and stir until it coats each piece of pasta. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for 2 minutes. Stir in fresh thyme, basil and cooked sausage.
• 10. Garnish each plate with extra grated Parmesan and fresh chopped basil.