Frugal Recipe: Pumpkin Penne with Rosemary!

First of all, I was OUT of penne. And when you have 9 boxes of rotini in your pantry... you get Pumpkin Rotini! :)
Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Fresh or dried Rosemary leaves
• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup half & half (you can substitute heavy cream or evaporated milk)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• Salt

Directions:

Boil a pot of salted water and cook the penne until al dente. Drain pasta but reserve one cup of pasta water. Rinse pasta in cool water to stop the cooking and set aside.

If using fresh rosemary: In pasta pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add rosemary leaves and fry, stirring, until browned, 1-2 minutes. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and let the rosemary drain on a paper towel. (If using dried rosemary skip this step and just add the rosemary on top or mix in at the end!)

Now add the pumpkin puree to the pot. Careful, it will splatter. Add 1 cup of pasta water, half & half, garlic, Parmesan, vinegar & crushed red pepper. Stir sauce until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Add the drained pasta back to the pot and stir. You can add a bit more water to get the sauce to the consistency you want. Salt generously.

Garnish each serving with the fried rosemary or set it out in a small dish for people to garnish themselves.

Verdict:
This was good but... dare I say it? It tasted "healthy." If you make it, make it as a side dish and you might want to top it with a little melted cheese. DH rated it a 6.5, I rated it a 7. Worth a try but not really our thang.

See the original recipe here !