Pasta with Pumpkin Creme Sauce

If there is one recipe I absolutely wanted to create this season it was a good pumpkin creme sauce.  Since Thanksgiving is less than a week away and pretty soon we’ll be trading in pumpkin for peppermint, I figured this was the weekend to try it out.  This sauce is heavy and rich, so a little goes a long way.  Serve with a nice salad and you have a great complete dinner.

You will need:

1 lb pasta (I used large shells)
2 cups 2% milk -or- half-n-half
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 tbsp butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1-2 cloves minced garlic (depends on your preference)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3-4 sprigs fresh curly parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)

To make:

Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain and return cooked pasta to the stockpot.

While pasta is boiling, in a medium saucepan, melt 5 tbsp of butter over medium heat.  Add in the garlic.  Slowly add the flour to the melted butter & garlic using a whisk to break up any lumps.  Add the milk or half-n-half and whisk well over medium-high heat.  Add in the pumpkin puree, again whisk well.  Add the salt, pepper, cloves and parsley.  When the sauce is blended, slowly start to add the shredded parmesan cheese (I like to add 1/4 cup at a time).  Whisk consistently to melt the cheese evenly & completely.  When your sauce is prepared, pour over the cooked pasta in the stockpot and stir well to coat all of the pasta.  Garnish with some parsley and serve immediately.