Pumpkin Baked Ziti
Baked in a creamy pumpkin white sauce with two kinds of cheese and tender sausage bits, this pumpkin baked ziti is a fun fall twist on the classic comfort dish.
Servings 8 servings
Calories 595kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup 2% or skim milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb pasta (ziti, rigatoni, penne, etc) cooked according to package instructions until al dente
- 1-1/2 cups firmly-packed kale leaves or baby spinach
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1-1/2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh or crispy sage for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan and swirl to evenly coat. Add Italian sausage to pan and brown 3-5 minutes until meat is no longer pink. Transfer sausage to a bowl and set aside.
- Set same pan over medium-high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and sage and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin puree, milk, heavy cream, and chicken broth to pan, mix until smooth, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove sauce from heat and fold in Italian sausage, cooked pasta, and kale until evenly coated. Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon half of pasta mixture into prepared pan and top with half of ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Repeat layers one more time ending with Parmesan cheese.
- Bake ziti at 400F 25-30 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Optionally, broil ziti 2-3 minutes to crisp up the cheese. Top ziti with sage and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing Instructions
Store ziti leftovers in refrigerator up to 6 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 6 oz pasta | Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 742mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5457IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 424mg | Iron: 2mg