Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 strips bacon, diced into 1/2-inch lardons

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

10 whole sage leaves, plus 2 teaspoons thinly sliced sage, for garnish

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/8 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 ounces rigatoni pasta, cooked to al dente in heavily salted water and then cooled, reserving some pasta water

1 cup freshly grated pecorino, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1.In a cold, large saucepan, add the olive oil and bacon, bring to medium heat and continuously sauté for about 8 minutes until browned and crispy. Remove bacon from pan and reserve bacon fat in the pan.

2.Reduce heat to medium-low, add butter and whole sage leaves and lightly fry sage until crisped and butter has browned, about 2 minutes. Remove sage from butter; reserve butter in pan.

3.Return pan to medium heat, add the garlic and crushed red pepper, sauté for 15 seconds, add pumpkin puree and cook for about 2 minutes.

4.Add the chicken stock and bring to medium-high heat, cook for about 90 seconds.

5.Add the heavy cream, reserved pasta water and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until well-incorporated and cook until sauce-like consistency and slightly thickened, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

6.Add the cooked pasta, pecorino and bacon, and toss until well-coated. Add the sliced sage and season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

7.Plate the pasta and top each serving with 2 to 3 fried sage leaves and more freshly grated pecorino.

Source: https://www.today.com/recipes/sage-brown-butter-pumpkin-pasta-t300599