Baked Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredo

By lauramae

It’s creamy, it’s covered in sage and cheesy too. Cheesy in a good way. And while it’s still a bit decadent, it’s slightly lighter than traditional alfredo and loaded with fiber and nutrients and all sorts of good stuff.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat/whole grain fettuccine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoons freshly chopped sage leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• freshly grated fontina cheese for topping
• fine breadcrumbs for sprinkling
• fried sage
• 10-15 fresh sage leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water and prepare pasta according to directions, shaving 1-2 minutes off of cooking time. I cooked my fettuccine for 6 minutes.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Once sizzling, whisk in flour and stir to create a roux, until bubbly and golden, about 4-5 minutes.

Add in milk, stirring constantly and increasing heat a little bit until it begins to bubble and thicken, about 5-6 minutes.

Add in mascarpone, parmesan, pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper and pumpkin pie spice, mixing well until smooth and combined and thickened into a sauce.

Spray a baking dish (mine was 7x11) with nonstick spray and add pasta to the dish.

Pour sauce over top and toss well with kitchen tongs to coat. Add some grated fontina on top and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly and slightly golden.

While pasta is baking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil.

Once hot, add sage leaves 4-5 at a time and fry for about 30 seconds. Remove and place on a paper towel.

Serve pasta immediately and top with sage leaves.