Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Start by frying strips of bacon in a pan. Once finished, remove the bacon, and then add the sage leaves to crisp up in the bacon fat.
It only takes a couple of minutes or less to crisp the sage, so don’t walk away from the pan.
In the same pan, saute the red onion, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes together for 1-2 minutes until the red onions are softened.
You can use the fat from the cooked bacon in this step, or drain it and use olive oil instead for a lighter sauce.
Add the pumpkin puree and cream cheese and simmer for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
Look at that sauce!
Add the cooked penne pasta with reserved pasta water to help thin the sauce a bit.
Top with some pecorino romano cheese or shredded parmesan.
Add the crumbled bacon and crispy sage, and you have Easy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta!