Creamy Pumpkin Sage Fettuccine

Fall calls for sweet comforts. And this recipe has October written all over it.

It's an autumnal twist on fettuccine Alfredo: thick homemade egg noodles bathed in a creamy pumpkin sage sauce with a dusting of freshly shaved parmesan and nutmeg.

If you have time, do roast up a small pumpkin to make your own purée, it takes only moments and in my opinion tastes better than the canned stuff. A small pie pumpkin will give you plenty of purée for this recipe with just enough left over for a pumpkin smoothie the following morning (simply blend the leftover purée with a little honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk of your choice. Mmm!)

If you're pressed for time, you can certainly use store bought pasta for this recipe. But pasta is surprisingly easy to make at home and such a delight to prepare. Plus the flavor and texture of fresh noodles is incomparable!

You can roll out your pasta by hand and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife if you don't own a pasta maker. Heck, I've even used a wine bottle to roll it out when I couldn't find my rolling pin, as you can see in my nettle fettuccine pasta video from last year.

The addition of puréed pumpkin and a little minced sage right in the pasta dough will give your fettuccine a unique color and flavor.

The sage chip garnish is optional, but highly recommended. They take only minutes to make and if you've never had them before, sage chips will revolutionize your life! They are a crispy flavor explosion and I've been eating them on everything since I discovered how easy they are to make.

May your month of October be cozy and filled with delicious comfort foods!

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series was nominated for a 2014 James Beard Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine's Best Food Blog award in the video category.