Valentine's Recipe: Pumpkin Cream pasta with Goat cheese and Roasted Tomatoes

Okay, so this isn't really a Valentine's recipe, but it feels delicious and fancy enough to be worthy of a stay-at-home Valentine's dinner! I made the recipe up (parts of it) after eating something similar at a hip, delicious restaurant here in Atlanta called "Two Licks."  (There dish had goat cheese ravioli, which would be delish, but I don't always have time to make stuff like that.)

Here is a step-by-step, and then I will follow with the recipe! (you know, its so blog trendy to show the step-by-step).

 Cut up some cherry tomatoes, spray a pan/dish with oil, and broil them for about 8 minutes.

 Boil your pasta of choice. I did Rigatoni.

 Heat up your olive oil in a large pan/pot (mines a combo) and add the garlic and onion. saute.

 In a separate bowl, pour in your pumpkin, chicken broth, 1/2 of your sage, and the half&half (I used light cream from whole foods, but no big diff.).

Once the onions are soft, add that bowl of ingredients to the pot/pan. Reduce to med/low and simmer for 10 minutes.

It'll look something like this... Stir Frequently and season with S&P

Pour the strained pasta into the sauce (or vice versa depending on the size of your pots), and toss to coat. Pour in 2 T of the cheese and mix well.

Top with remaining sage and parm, as well as some slices/chunks of goat cheese, fresh basil, and the roasted tomatoes. YUUUUUMMMM! We devoured this dish. Enjoy!

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce, goat cheese, tomato and basil

Pasta of your choice

1 /2 of a Vidalia onion chopped fine

3 medium cloves garlic (or a spoonful of minced)

Dried (or fresh) sage, to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free half & half (or low fat heavy cream)

salt & pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

goat cheese (room temp)

cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (1/2-1 carton)

fresh basil leaves (chopped slightly)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sald and pour in the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until they have softened. Stir in the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, half & half, and 1/2 of the sage. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep warm on the lowest setting.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, then add 2 tablespoons of the cheese and mix well. To serve it: top with remaining sage, parm, slices/chunks of goat cheese, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves.