Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Italian Sausage

Prep the pasta water. Bring a large stockpot full of generously-salted water to a boil.

Cook the sausage. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and shallot and cook, crumbling the sausage with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until the sausage is lightly browned. Add the garlic, sage and crushed red pepper flakes and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.

Cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the hot starchy pasta water and set aside, then drain the pasta.

Finish the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, carefully pour in the wine and use the wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the pumpkin purée, heavy cream, kale and toss to combine. Turn off the heat.

Toss. Once the pasta and sauce are both ready to go, combine them in the large stockpot along with ¾ cup of the hot starchy pasta water and toss to combine. Add in ¼ cup of extra starchy water at a time (if needed) until the sauce reaches a smooth and glossy consistency. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve. Serve warm, garnished with lots of freshly-grated Parmesan and black pepper.