Pumpkin Sage Pasta
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
14 oz Tinkyada Gluten Free Linguine (this brand is my fav!)
1 cup Pasta Water
4 Chicken Tenderloins
2 tbsp
2 tbsp + 1 tsp Garlic Oil
1 ¼ tsp Salt (+ extra for pasta water)
Pepper
2-3 sprigs fresh Sage
7.5 oz Pumpkin Puree (½ a can)
1 tsp Fody Chicken Soup Base
¼ cup Heavy Cream
½ - ⅔ block of Parmesan
Cook with me!
Instructions:
Boil Pasta. Start by boiling a large pot of water to cook your pasta, and don’t forget to generously salt your water! I usually add 1-2 teaspoons.
I like to use gluten free linguine noodles for this recipe, but you could use any noodle you want - long or short; but I do recommend using Tinkyada. I’ve tried so many gluten free pastas over the years and I think this one has the best texture. In my experience, this brand of gluten free pasta cooks best when it has enough water and room in the pot. DO NOT try to squish this full package into a small or medium sauce pot, DO use a large sauce pot and fill it up leaving about 2-3 inches of space from the top.
Sear Chicken. While we are waiting for our water to boil, let’s prep and sear our chicken. Start by dring the chicken with a paper towel. Remember, a dry surface will ensure a good sear. Add salt and pepper to both sides and optionally, dried sage. Add garlic oil and butter to a large stainless steel saucepan, and sear chicken (and fresh sage if using) over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through and reaching an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees.
When the water comes to a boil, add your pasta and cook until “al dente”, which means firm and a little underdone. Similar to a rare or medium rare steak. To achieve this, I usually set my timer for 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, and then keep on it until it reaches that perfect al dente texture. We want our pasta to be slightly firm because, so that it won’t get mushy when we toss it together with our sauce at the end. Be sure to save a cup of starchy pasta water for your sauce, and rinse the pasta with cold water after you’ve strained it.
Before making our sauce, prep your fresh sage by plucking it from the stem and laying the leaves atop one another. Roll the leaves into a cylinder and thinly slice into ribbons.
Make Sauce. Add the chopped sage to the same saucepan you used to cook the chicken along with another tablespoon each of garlic oil and butter. Fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the sage looks crispy. Next add half a can of pumpkin puree and fry for 2-3 until the pan is deglazed and sugars have started to carmelize. Next add a cup of pasta water to the pumpkin mixture along with a teaspoon of Fody Chicken Soup Base , and a ¼ cup of heavy cream. Whisk mixture together over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. While that’s coming up to temperature, grate in 2-3 ounces on Parmesan cheese. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. I added about a ¼ teaspoon.
Combine. Remove your sauce from the heat and add the pasta back to the pan. Toss together with tongs and add another 2-3 ounces of grated parmesan cheese. Taste for salt once more and adjust according to your liking.
Serve. I like to serve this pasta alongside a protein, like the chicken we made, to help ensure that I don’t eat too much pasta, which will throw my body out of balance and cause digestive upset. Finish it off with fresh ground black pepper, a final dusting of parmesan, and a sprig of sage.
ENJOY!
NOTES:
Make it Dairy FREE! If you’re in the elimination phase and you aren't eating dairy, you can substitute duck fat or beef tallow for the butter, and coconut cream for the heavy cream. Just be sure to use only the solid part that’s in the can. DO NOT mix it.
Mix it up! You can make many variations of this pasta by switching up the flavors! Try swapping out the sage for rosemary or thyme. You could also swap out the herbs with truffle oil and cayenne or crushed red pepper. Get creative and make something that speaks to you! That’s the beauty of cooking after all.
