This cozy fall recipe takes the humble pumpkin and turns it into a stunning centerpiece — tender roasted squash filled with buttery noodles, savory sausage, and creamy mascarpone. It’s part pasta bake, part comfort casserole, and every bit as delicious as it looks. Serve it straight from the pumpkin for a dish that tastes — and feels — like autumn at its best.
Ingredients (Serves 4):
14 oz (about 4 cups) egg noodles or tagliatelle
1 small pumpkin (about 2½ lbs, yielding roughly 14 oz of cooked flesh)
7 oz mascarpone cheese
7 oz cooked sausage, sliced or crumbled
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon chopped sage
½ teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Cut the top off the pumpkin and remove the seeds and pulp. Boil both the pumpkin and its lid briefly in salted water for about 5 minutes, then drain.
Scoop out some flesh, dice it, and set aside.
In a skillet, melt butter and sauté the diced pumpkin with sage and rosemary for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook the noodles in salted water according to package directions, then drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the cooking water.
Over low heat, combine the hot noodles with mascarpone, Parmesan, and the reserved cooking water, stirring gently until creamy.
Add the pumpkin pieces and sausage, toss to coat, and season to taste.
Spoon the mixture back into the hollowed pumpkin and serve warm — either directly in the pumpkin or in individual bowls.
