If you couldn?t tell by the title, this recipe is fully loaded with fall flavor. I don?t think I left anything out. Pumpkin, check. Apple, check. Sage, check. Cinnamon and nutmeg, check! Surprisingly, this mishmash of autumnal ingredients works really well together. The result is a warm and comforting pasta dish perfectly suited for a chilly October/November night.

My original thought was to create a baked pasta dish. I even pre-heated the oven. But once I poured the cooked rigatoni into the creamy pumpkin sauce, I couldn?t wait to dig in. So, I turned off the oven and helped myself to a plate. Instant gratification! The key to getting the sauce to coat the surface of the noodles is to skip the post-drain pasta rinse. The starch left on the noodles allows the sauce to cling to every nook and cranny for maximum flavor.
I chose to add tempeh to this creamy vegan pumpkin pasta to fill out the dish and make it more hearty. The technique, which involves crumbling the tempeh, browning it in a cast iron skillet, and tossing it with a savory sauce, comes from The First Mess cookbook. Laura does something similar with tempeh in one of her warm salad recipes. When prepared this way, tempeh is so delicious. It really takes this pasta dish to the next level.

While I?m all about meal prep and pre-making dinner, this creamy vegan pumpkin pasta is best enjoyed right away. Then again, I also can?t stand leftover pasta. So, perhaps the staying power of this recipe is subjective. Invit...