Sausage and Mushroom Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

Preheat your oven to a high temperature of three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Next, spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray to prevent the dish from sticking.

In a bowl, submerge porcini mushrooms in enough water to cover them completely and let them rehydrate for a while. Once they have absorbed the water, drain it off from the mushrooms and set the liquid aside for later use. Chop the rehydrated mushrooms into smaller pieces.

In a skillet, cook sliced sausage over medium heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and let it cool slightly before slicing it on a diagonal.

Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat and cook sliced onions until they become translucent, taking about ten minutes. Add dried sage leaves and a pinch of nutmeg to the skillet and stir well. Transfer the cooked onion mixture to another bowl, then add chopped mushrooms and cooked sausage to it. Mix everything together until well combined.

Add the reserved soaking water, roasted pumpkin, grated Gruyere cheese, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the onion mixture. Mix everything together until you get a smooth sauce.

In a large pot, bring a substantial amount of salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta to the boiling water and cook it, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a perfect al dente texture. Drain the cooked pasta and mix it into the pumpkin sauce.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and top it with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil to prevent overcooking.

Bake the pasta mixture in your preheated oven for about thirty minutes, or until it starts to bubble and emit a savory aroma.