Pumpkin Gorgonzola pasta

Enjoy all the best flavors of fall in this hearty but lightened pasta, with a rich and creamy pumpkin gorgonzola cheese sauce.

Now that it's October, I give all of us official permission to start talking about pumpkin recipes.

Granted, I'm probably the only food blogger on the planet that hasn't been posting pumpkin recipes since Labor Day, but I'm loyal to produce seasonality.

I don't mean to malign the poor pumpkin; I love it, I really do. Well, except for pumpkin pie -- but that's just because I'm a pie crust hater. And pumpkin spice freakin' lattes -- but that's just because they are all over the place like a really bad rash. How about a butternut latte, Starbucks? Or a kale-scented candle, Yankee Candle people? I'd buy either one of those in a heartbeat.

Anyhoo, we're talking pumpkin. More specifically, we're talking pumpkin pasta. Even more specifically, pumpkin pasta with a rich, creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce.

Awwwwwwwww yeah.

This pasta recipe is an oldie-but-a-goodie around Casa de Ninj. It's a Cooking Light recipe that I have been making for 10 years.

(ERMERGAHD, 10 years!)

It's a recipe I like to make not only because it is aw-aw-awesome but also because it reminds me of how far I have come since I really started cooking. Which, frankly, wasn't until about 2000, when I got married -- and realized that if I didn't step up and do the cooking, we'd be eating non-stop takeout Chinese from the Busy Bee, which was Mr. Ninj's favorite (in fact, he just refers to all Chinese restaurants now as "The Busy Bee").

So I was still a bit of a novice cook when I first undertook this recipe in 2003. In fact, I remember freaking out because it meant I had to use three burners, all at the same time. Gaaah! "But I only have two hands to stir!!!!!!!!"

Heh. Times have changed. But my love for this creamy pumpkin Gorgonzola pasta has not. It's wonderfully rich and cheesy, yet a lot lower in fat and calories than you might expect. For me, it's classic fall comfort food. And when it's a classic, you never get tired of the same old thing.

Unless it's a freakin' pumpkin spice latte.

Pumpkin Gorgonzola Pasta

(adapted from Cooking Light)


Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 sweet onions, halved and then sliced vertically
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped sage
1 12-ounce can light evaporated milk
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
3 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan (here comes burner #3!), combine the sage and milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, then whisk it into the milk mixture, along with the Gorgonzola cheese, and cook the whole mixture 2-3 minutes, until thick and smooth (be sure to stir constantly). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pumpkin, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sauce and the mushroom mixture to the drained pasta and stir gently to combine.

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