Penne with Pumpkin & Sage

Last week I wanted to make a pasta dish without a red sauce.  I'd seen posts on other food blogs for squash based sauces before and decided to give a pumpkin sauce a try.  It was really tasty and something different.  At first when I started mixing the pumpkin in, it reminded me of baby food squash but by adding some hot sauce and other seasonings, the final taste was much more sophisticated than Gerber's. I had to work on the seasonings and taste it a few times to get the right flavor.  You could use a regular penne but I thought that the heartiness of the whole wheat pasta complimented this sauce well.  

Penne with Pumpkin and Sage (serves 2)

2 c. whole wheat penne
1 shallot, chopped
5 sage leaves, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. chili sauce (like Sriracha)
nutmeg, cinnamon, salt & pepper to taste
Shaved parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook penne according to package instructions.  Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add the shallots and sage.  Saute until the shallots are tender and beginning to brown.  Add the garlic and saute one more minute.  Add the broth, pumpkin, cream chili sauce, and seasonings and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to taste.  Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss.  Serve with the shaved parmesan cheese.