(High Protein) Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Crispy Beef
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the browned beef:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
For the creamy pumpkin sauce:
- 1 lb. rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 6 sage leaves chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Burrata for serving
- Fresh thyme leaves for serving
Instructions
- To make the browned beef: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the olive oil begins glistening, add the beef and season with the salt. Break up finely with a spatula. Once broken up, cook untouched for 3 to 4 minutes to brown, then stir and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the honey. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season very generously with salt (think 1 to 2 tablespoons!) then add the pasta to cook until al dente. Don’t forget to reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water before draining!
- To make the creamy pumpkin sauce: In the same skillet as before, add the butter. Once melted, add the chopped shallot, sage, and minced garlic to sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant and shallots are tender.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the white wine to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook out the alcohol.
- Add the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, ground black pepper, and ground nutmeg. Stir until smooth, then add the pasta, grated parmesan, and browned beef into the pumpkin sauce. Use a spoon to toss together for at least one minute, then begin add splashes of reserved pasta water until your deserved pasta sauce consistency.
- Serve warm with burrata, thyme, and cracked black pepper.
