Stoners' Kitchen: Spiced Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Here's a recipe I came up with while preparing an impromptu meal for a group of friends. When we first moved into the house, Gerad and I discovered that we have gratuitous amounts of pasta in the kitchen and for that reason whenever I cook for more than three people spaghetti is always on the menu. However, there's only so many times I can cook a straight tomato sauce before it becomes too mundane to even look at.

So there I was, standing above my stove stirring sauteed onions and chopped tomatoes listlessly when I realized I didn't have enough tomato paste to give the sauce it's proper consistency. Craaap! They say necessity is the mother of all invention and it was certainly true in this case. Just when I was about to announce to my guests that they might want to consider a Jack In The Box run, it hit me: Pumpkin. Three ginormous cans of pumpkin puree had been wasting away in my pantry for months with no hope of reprieve since pie-making isn't exactly my forte. By adding a decent amount of the puree, I fixed the consistency and put a new, autumnal twist on a mainstay meal.

Spiced Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Utensils
1 large sauce pan
1 wooden spoon
1 large chopping knife

Ingredients
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tbs garlic, chopped
1 can of peeled tomatoes
2 pour red wine
2 pour white balsamic vinegar
3 pour of veggie broth
5 shakes of Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, rosemary, sage)
3 shakes of red pepper flakes
1 small can of plain tomato sauce
Enough pumpkin puree to reach a thick consistency
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pumpkin pie spice (nutmeg, ground cloves, cinnamon) to taste

• Add all ingredients up to the plain tomato sauce and simmer until onions are soft and tomatoes have become mush-like (mash them with your spoon if you're one of those weirdos that "doesn't like tomatoes if they're in their natural form")
• Add tomato sauce and pumpkin puree and STIR, STIR, STIR on low heat until sauce starts to bubble slightly.
• Remove from heat and stir in olive oil, salt and pepper and pie spice.
• Ladle on top of pasta of your choice (I used butternut squash ravioli).

Enjoy!

!!!