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Photo of Spicy pumpkin rigatoni with sausage & kale by WW

Spicy pumpkin rigatoni with sausage & kale

9
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
15 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
A good hit of crushed red pepper flakes lends a bold backbone to the full-flavored sauce that coats chunky rigatoni pasta and crumbled Italian sausage. The secret to the sauce is canned pumpkin, which delivers a rich, creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that pairs well with the spice. Be sure to use a large pan (such as a Dutch oven) to cook the pasta; you’ll be adding 6 cups of kale to it for the last few minutes.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

4 spray(s)

Uncooked rigatoni

7 oz

Kale

6 cup(s), curly variety, chopped

Uncooked onion

1 cup(s), chopped, finely chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp

Garlic

3 clove(s), minced

Uncooked sweet Italian turkey sausage

6 oz

Canned pumpkin puree

⅔ cup(s)

Fat free evaporated milk

½ cup(s)

Tomato paste

1 Tbsp

Kosher salt

¾ tsp

No-salt-added canned tomato sauce

8 oz

Grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup(s), divided

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to the package directions, adding the kale for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Scoop out and reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain the pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium. Add the onion, pepper flakes, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sausage to the pan; cook until the sausage is browned, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to crumble. Stir in the pumpkin, milk, tomato paste, salt, and tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add the pasta mixture and ¼ cup reserved pasta water to the pan; stir gently to combine. Stir in 2 tbsp cheese and additional pasta water, if needed. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  4. Serving size: about 1¼ cups pasta and 1½ tsp cheese

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