Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Sauce

Any short pasta will work in this dish, but we did have a favorite brand of cheese--Saladena Gorgonzola. It gave the sauce a consistency more luscious than others we tried.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  pound  uncooked pennette (small penne)
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 5  cups  thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound whole mushrooms)
• 4  cups  vertically sliced onion
• 4  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh sage
• 1  (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  cornstarch
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  cold water
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2  cup  canned pumpkin
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  grated whole nutmeg
• Fresh sage sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Combine chopped sage and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and cheese to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add pasta and pumpkin mixture to mushroom mixture; toss well to combine. Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

462 (13% from fat)

Fat:

6.5g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

19.9g

Carbohydrate:

83.1g

Fiber:

7.3g

Cholesterol:

11mg

Iron:

3.7mg

Sodium:

636mg

Calcium:

265mg