A few weeks ago I stumbled across a recipe for pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce and had a total “A-ha” moment. The kiddos heart pasta. I’m obsessed with pumpkin. Could this be the elusive “family dinner” I’ve been searching for?
Sadly, that wasn’t the case (tear).
First, we swapped out the angel hair pasta for a more Mimi-friendly whole wheat penne. Then Dr. G and I had to doctor the recipe (no pun intended) to give it a little extra kick, which a few dashes of red curry powder provided. After that, it was quite good. Luckily, we had spooned out a blander portion for the kiddos (Buddy + curry powder = disaster).
Mimi actually thought it was quite yummy. Her brother, on the other hand, was not a fan. Eventually he said he wanted to go to upstairs and, shockingly, he fell asleep. Fully clothed. At 7pm. Wait, what was that? Oh, that was the earth standing still. Because he has never gone to bed that early before.
I am hoping his extreme exhaustion (which I attribute to a residual lack of sleep from Saturday night’s sleepover and a full day of kindergarten followed by karate) caused his disinterest in dinner. Either that, or last week’s dinnertime power struggle is still in effect.
Sigh.
On a brighter note, I am looking forward to my pumpkin smoothie in the morning!! I found so many recipes but I think I may improvise based on the ingredients I have on hand.
In the meantime, here’s the recipe from tonight’s New Food Monday dinner:
Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce (via Washington Post)
Ingredients:
- 8 to 10 ounces multigrain angel-hair pasta, such as Barilla brand (NOTE: We used whole wheat penne and it worked just fine)
- 1 medium shallot
- 3 medium cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: couple of dashes of red curry powder for a little extra kick
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions (6 to 7 minutes).
Meanwhile, mince the shallot and garlic; finely chop the sage.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they have softened. Add the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, milk and half of the sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep warm on the lowest setting.
Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, then add 2 tablespoons of the cheese and mix well. Divide among individual plates and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese and the remaining sage.