Step 1

Heat olive oil or melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Add garlic, continuing to saute for another minute. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and ground ginger, allowing them to toast for approximately 30 seconds. Stir in the fresh herbs.

Step 2

Deglaze the pan with white wine or 1/4 cup vegetable stock, scraping up any golden brown bits. Add the remaining vegetable stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta a few minutes shy of al dente (check the package directions). Be sure to taste test the sauce for salt levels.

Step 3

Optional: remove a few tablespoons of the liquid and place in a small bowl. Stir with corn starch if you prefer a thicker sauce. Stir the corn starch slurry into the pasta sauce right before adding the pumpkin puree.

Step 4

With 3-4 minutes remaining of the pasta cook time, stir in the pumpkin puree until completely combined. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, remove the pan from heat and let cool slightly. It will be very hot. You may want to transfer to a serving bowl to cool more quickly and stop any further cooking.

Step 5

Top with toasted breadcrumbs as desired (see notes for recipe), and additional fresh sage and thyme for garnish. Enjoy!