Creamy pumpkin goodness

I've been a cooking fiend today (as evinced by the mound of dishes in my kitchen).  

My husband's birthday was yesterday, and we're celebrating with the family tomorrow, so I made his favorite chocolate cake, which I then frosted with my mocha buttercream frosting.  (Don't ask - it's a family secret!)  

Then I made two loaves of pumpkin bread, just for fun, and added chocolate chips to one of them.

Then, since I was in a pumpkiny mood, I decided to finally make a recipe I've been meaning to try for a while.  This from my friend Cara's blog.  She's got some super recipes, along with some great photos, which aren't my strong point!  Cara is great at lightening up recipes, which is always a plus in my book.

Her recipe for penne with sausage and pumpkin cream sauce is absolutely delicious.  I modified it a little bit, as I had neither the sage nor the spinach her recipe called for.  I'm going to post her original, but am putting my notes in italics.  The pumpkin cream sauce sounds decadent, but there's not a bit of cream in it.  It's made with pumpkin, low-fat cottage cheese, and nonfat or low-fat milk.

Penne with Sausage and Pumpkin Cream Sauce

4 ounces penne pasta (I used whole grain pasta, and increased it to about 6 ounces)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced (used my garlic press)
about 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (I omitted this)
2 links cooked chicken sausage, sliced (I used roasted garlic chicken sausage, and increased it to 3 links)
1/2 cup low fat (1% milk fat) cottage cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup nonfat milk (I used 1%)
5 ounces baby spinach (I used 1 cup frozen peas)
parmesan cheese, optional

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook gently for about 15-20 minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, sage, and chicken sausage; continue to saute. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  (If using peas instead of spinach, add to pasta during last 5 minutes of cooking time.)

In a blender, combine pumpkin, cottage cheese, and milk. Blend until no lumps are present.

Add to sausage mixture in skillet and continue to cook over low heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add sausage mixture and baby spinach, and toss together until the spinach is wilted. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.