Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta with Sage

• 12 oz (340g) pasta (fettuccine, rigatoni, or shells work best)
• 5 Tbsp (71g) unsalted butter
• 8–10 fresh sage leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 cup (240g) pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream (or half-and-half for lighter)
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp red chilli pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
• ¼ cup (60ml) pasta water (to loosen sauce)

1. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook until crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove half eaves for garnish, leaving the rest in the pan.
3. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 secs until fragrant. They will quickly burn!
4. Whisk in tomato paste and pumpkin purée. Cook 2–3 minutes to deepen flavor.
5. Pour in heavy cream, nutmeg, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring, until slightly thickened.
6. Add parmesan and pasta water, whisking until sauce is silky.
7. Tuen off the stove and toss pasta into the sauce until coated. Adjust seasoning as needed.
8. Garnish with reserved crispy sage leaves and extra parmesan before serving.

*Mise en Place Note

This recipe moves quickly once you start cooking. Before turning on the heat, make sure you’ve:

• Chopped sage and garlic
• Measured pumpkin, cream, and tomato paste
• Grated parmesan
• Boiled and drained pasta (reserve some water) or start making the sauce right after adding pasta to the boiling water

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