This flavorful Spicy Sausage and Pumpkin Recipe is made with sausage, canned pumpkin, and spices. It’s easy, quick, and delicious. Yum!
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I like things hot (people, temperatures, spiciness, whatever). This sausage and pumpkin pasta has some serious kick to it BUT you can turn that down easily.
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Budget
This total recipe costs $11.19 to make. It makes 6 servings which works out to $1.87 per serving.
Your grocery costs are probably different than mine. Location, shopping habits, seasonal availability, and other things can all have a major impact on the cost of food. Find out how I calculate what a recipe costs.
Spicy Sausage & Pumpkin Pasta Ingredients
There are 12 ingredients in this dish.
Sausage ($4.99)
The sausage I use most commonly is an Italian Hot Sausage. It’s a great all-around sausage that I can buy in bulk, freeze, and use whenever I want some.
This recipe is pretty flexible. I prefer it with sausage and, IMO, almost any sausage will work just fine. But I’ve made it with chicken (also good). You could use beef or skip the meat entirely, try it with tofu.
I slice my sausage into disks and cook them because that’s how I like my sausage. You could remove the casings, crumble the sausage meat, and cook it like that if you’d prefer.
Cajun Seasoning ($0.15)
I make my own cajun seasoning but you can buy premixed cajun seasoning (and it’s totally fine).
One of the benefits of making your own cajun seasoning is that you can adjust it to your taste. For example:
- Like things spicier? Add some cayenne, increase the chipotle.
- Want a milder flavor? Decrease the chipotle.
- Like things smokey? Increase the smoked paprika and/or chipotle.
- Not a fan of smoke? Substitute some (or all) of the smoked paprika for sweet paprika. Substitute chili powder for the chipotle (or just eliminate it entirely).
Pumpkin Puree ($2.24)
Make sure you’re buying pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Seriously, my grocery store sells them beside each other, and the cans are practically identical. I really must read the label.
I imagine you could substitute canned pumpkin puree for fresh pumpkin but I have never cooked with fresh pumpkin. If I was going to try (and I’m definitely not), I’d check out THIS.
Heavy Cream ($0.35)
Heavy cream is the best choice for taste (and maybe texture) but it’s an easy thing to substitute if you don’t have it.
I almost never have heavy cream in my fridge. It’s expensive, expires, easy to substitute, and I don’t need it very often. So I rarely buy it.
I usually substitute with Greek yogurt and enough water to make it runny. How much? It depends on the yogurt. Basically, I want the same volume (1/4 cup for this recipe) and I want it to have the consistency of heavy cream (so easily pourable). 1 or 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt and the rest as water is usually enough. You can use milk instead of water.
Another good substitute that I’ve used is an equal amount of coconut cream.
8 More Ingredients
- Onion ($0.28)
- Oil ($0.13): Olive oil has been my go-to for years but recently I’ve started using more avocado oil. Go with whatever your usual stir-fry oil is.
- Garlic ($0.30)
- Chipotle Powder ($0.05): you don’t have to add this. There’s chipotle powder in cajun seasoning already so this just adds a small amount of heat and a little more smokiness.
- Cayenne Pepper ($0.02): here’s where the “spicy” part of the recipe comes in. Feel free to skip the cayenne if you don’t want spicy!
- Broth ($0.15): I use chicken broth but vegetable broth or water would work.
- Salt ($0.04)
- Pasta ($2.49): use a box of your favorite pasta. I like a penne or a rotini or something short that will get nicely coated in sauce but any pasta is fine.
How Can You Reduce the Cost?
The best way to reduce the cost of this recipe is to go meatless. Meat is expensive! Skipping the sausage would save you $4.99, dropping the per serving price to $1.03.
Equipment & Plating
Spicy Pumpkin & Chicken Pasta is an easy stove-top meal.
Large Skillet
The sausage, sauce, and final dish will all be made in the same skillet. Make sure that yours is big enough to hold everything!
Large Pot
You’re going to need to make pasta, so you’ll need a large pot.
Small Tools
To make this recipe, you’re going to want the following small tools:
- Kitchen Scale (or Measuring Cups & Spoons)
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon or Flexible Spatula
- Colander
Looking to stock your kitchen with the best equipment? Learn about the best kitchen tools you should own!
Serving
Pasta is best served in large, shallow bowl & this recipe is no different.
Got Leftovers?
Eat them! Either reheat them and eat them as is or repurpose your leftovers into a completely new meal.
- Reheat: leftover spicy sausage & pumpkin pasta can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. You might need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce.
- Refrigerate: you can store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Repurpose: Use your leftovers in a different recipe like a casserole, savory pie, or something new. The sky is the limit. Have fun and enjoy.
Spicy Sausage & Pumpkin Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Oil ($0.13)
- 1 Onion, diced ($0.28)
- 500 g Sausage, sliced into discs ($4.99)
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced ($0.30)
- 15 g Cajun Seasoning ($0.15)
- 5 g Chipotle Powder ($0.05)
- 2 g Cayenne Pepper ($0.02)
- 450 mL Pumpkin Puree ($2.24)
- 375 mL Broth ($0.15)
- 6 g Salt ($0.04)
- 1 pkg Pasta ($2.49)
- 60 mL Heavy Cream ($0.35)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil until shimmering.1 tbsp Oil
- Add onions, and sausage discs. Cook, over medium heat, until sausage is browned and just cooked through (about 8 minutes), turning frequently.1 Onion, diced, 500 g Sausage, sliced into discs
- Add garlic, cajun, chipotle, and cayenne. Saute for 1 minute until fragrant.3 cloves Garlic, minced, 15 g Cajun Seasoning, 5 g Chipotle Powder, 2 g Cayenne Pepper
- Add pumpkin, broth, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer while cooking pasta.450 mL Pumpkin Puree, 375 mL Broth, 6 g Salt
- Cook pasta according to package directions.1 pkg Pasta
- Drain pasta and stir into pumpkin sauce with heavy cream. Let cook for 2-3 minutes (until everything is hot and well mixed).60 mL Heavy Cream
- Serve & enjoy!
Enjoy Your Sausage & Pumpkin Pasta!
Did you make this spicy sausage and pumpkin pasta? How did it turn out? What changes did you make? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time. Xoxo