Modified from a recipe in Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats by Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 pound white mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can (14 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 pound penne or small shell pasta
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• xanthan gum (for thickening)

Cook the pasta to slightly less than al denta and reserve.

In a deep skillet, brown the sausage, using a little olive oil if needed. Crumble it with a spoon so that all of the pieces are roughly the same size. When browned, drain the sausage using a strainer, and then rinse out the pan.

Next, brown the mushrooms, garlic, and onions, using a little olive oil if needed. Cook until the mushrooms brown, and then season with salt and pepper if desired.

Combine the sausage and vegetables, and then add the chicken stock. Cook for 1 minute. Add in the pumpkin and stir until it is well mixed. Stir in the milk, sage, nutmeg and cinnamon. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes, then add the pasta. Mix the pasta so that it is all thoroughly coated.

Split the mixture onto oiled trays, and dehydrate at 145 degrees until completely dry, at least overnight.

When dry, split the result up into three portions by weight, and pack each portion in a 1 quart freezer bag. Add 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to each freezer bag.

To serve, cover with 1 3/4 cup near-boiling water and simmer in a cozy for 15-20 minutes. If you are cooking at altitude, make sure that your water comes to a rolling boil before pouring it into the bag, and simmer the food for at least 20 minutes (maybe even a bit longer). Note that sausage takes longer to rehydrate than ground beef.