Sausage & Pumpkin Pasta

I’ve been wanting to try a savory dish with pumpkin and was excited when I saw this recipe in the December/January 2010 issue of Taste of Home Heathly Cooking magazine. My daughter loved it, but my husband and are weren’t sold on it. It needs something, but neither one of us could figure out what was missing – so I’m putting it out there to my readers to try to figure out what will make this recipe better.

2 cups uncooked multigrain pasta (I used fusilli)

1/2 lb sweet italian turkey sausage, casing removed

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheee

fresh parsley to taste

Cook pasta according to package. In the meantime, in a large nonstick skillet (coated with cooking spray), cook the sausage, mushrooms, onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain.

Stir in chicken broth, pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes uncovered, until slightly thickened.

Drain pasta, add to skillet and heat through. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and parsley.