Homemade pasta is seriously probably one of my all time favorite things. That being said, it's certainly not something I make every week because I don't have the time. But I kind of think this makes it even more special since I'm sure if I ate fresh pasta everyday, I would not appreciate it anymore. I would be a pasta snob.

That would make a great t-shirt right? "Pasta Snob" Oh yeah, I'd wear that.

I'm about to share with you an easy (well, easy for homemade pasta) pumpkin pasta recipe that I like to serve with a little sage butter and parmesan. If you serve it family style, like I've done here, then it can make a really great appetizer or even side dish for a dinner party. People's minds will be blown when you tell them you made the pasta yourself.

So if you want to blow people's minds, then read on, my friend. If you're like, "No way, I'm cool just serving hot pockets." Then… well… why are you reading this blog post? I mean, I'm all for hot pockets I guess, but we're really coming from two different places on this one.

Let's make pasta.

Bowtie Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Butter

For the pasta:

2 cups flour

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup water

In a bowl combine the flour, eggs, pumpkin and olive oil. Stir to combine. Then begin incorporating the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. You want to add just enough water to create a dough that you can knead. But it doesn't need to be overly wet, so add the water slowly so you don't add too much at once.

Knead the dough for a minute, then place in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough in fourths and roll out into a thin sheet. You can do this by hand, but I have a Kitchen Aid pasta maker attachment so that's what I always use. You basically slowly feed the dough into the rollers and increase the size (how thin the dough gets) up to 5. If you're rolling it out by hand, just get it as thin as you can without tearing the dough.

Then cut into small rectangles and give them a pinch in the middle to make bow ties. This recipe will make around twelve dozen individual bow ties, which is about four times what you see pictured in that very first photo of this post. I'd say that's around 4-5 servings if you're making this a meal. If you're not using all of your fresh pasta on the day you made it, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to two days. Just take care not to store it too cramped together as it could stick. To help this, let them dry out on the counter for 30-40 minutes before storing them. I am of the mindset that if I'm going to make pasta, I want to make enough to at least eat it twice (two days in a row). That might sound strange to you, but it's a bit of work, so why not make a mess one day but reap the benefits for two?

I've never tried freezing fresh pasta, so I don't know how well that works. If anyone has done it and wants to share tips, please do!

To cook the pasta, simply add to a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for 5-6 minutes. Fresh pasta will cook a little quicker than store-bought/dry pasta. Once cooked, drain and then toss in sage butter, or whatever sauce you're serving these with.

I served about 1/2 of the total amount that this recipe makes. I made a sage butter by cooking 4 1/2 tablespoons butter with 5 sage leaves over medium high heat just until the leaves began to turn brown. Then I removed the cooked leaves and drizzled the hot butter over the cooked pasta. Top with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Garnish with a few more sage leaves if you have them (they are so pretty!). Thanks for letting me share! xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.