Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Kale
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 lb rigatoni or penne
- 1 bunch lacinato (Tuscan) kale about 8 oz, stems removed, chopped
- 8 oz Italian sausage optional, casings removed
Pumpkin sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 fresh sage leaves finely chopped, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling; or 1 3/4 cups roasted butternut squash puree
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or more milk
- 1/2 cup Parmesan finely grated
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more for pasta water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
Cheese and topping
- 2 cups Gruyère or fontina shredded, about 6 oz, divided
- 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- 4 sage leaves whole, for the top
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Add the kale for the last 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- If using sausage, brown it in a large skillet, breaking it up, then move it to a plate.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the shallot 3 minutes, add the garlic and chopped sage and cook 1 minute more.
- Whisk in the pumpkin, milk, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes, then stir in the Parmesan and 1 cup of the Gruyère until smooth. Thin with pasta water if it feels thick; it should be looser than you think.
- Toss the pasta, kale and sausage with the sauce and pour into the dish. Top with the remaining Gruyère and the mozzarella.
- Mix the panko with the melted butter, scatter over the top and press in the whole sage leaves.
- Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and golden. Broil 1 to 2 minutes for a deeper crust. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Make ahead: assemble without the breadcrumbs, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add the topping and bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of milk.