People often ask me what they should serve vegetarians during Thanksgiving. It is rude to only have vegetarian sides? Do people expect a Tofurkey? It’s true, in a holiday where a giant bird is traditionally the center of the meal, it can be difficult to find a alternative for those who don’t eat meat.

I think a vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving should be hearty, decadent and festive. It should work as a side for those who do eat meat. It should also stand on its own for those who want to skip the turkey.

When my friend Karla first made this pasta for me, I thought about how perfect it would be for a vegetarian Thanksgiving dish. It has all of the traditional elements–pumpkin, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg–folded into the pasta in a luxurious cream sauce. I like to add a few extra dashes of Tabasco to give the dish a nice vinegary kick.

Others who have tried the recipe like to add some crumbled Italian sausages to give the dish more flavor and substance. Since we are sticking to the vegetarian theme here, I used some cannellini beans, which are plump and creamy.

This dish is effortless to put together. You boil the pasta, make the sauce and toss to serve. It will be the easiest thing to make on your Thanksgiving table, yet it will make all of your vegetarian guests feel at home.

Pumpkin Pasta

Adapted from Rachel Ray

• Fusilli, penne, or any other short pasta, 1 pound
• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
• Shallots, 3, finely shopped
• Garlic, 4 cloves, finely chopped
• Red pepper flakes, 1 pinch
• Chicken or vegetable stock, 1 1/2 cups
• Pumpkin puree, 1 15-ounce can
• Heavy cream, 1/2 cup
• Hot sauce, a couple of dashes, or to taste
• Nutmeg, a pinch
• Cinnamon, a generous pinch
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Cannellini beans, 1 15-0z can, drained and rinsed
• Sage, 8 leaves, julienned
• Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 cup, plus more for garnish

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente.

In the meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 3 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and translucent. Stir in stock and combine with pumpkin. Stir in cream and season with hot sauce, nutmeg and cinnamon. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Turn off the stove. Stir in white beans, sage, cheese and cooked pasta. Toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper.

Serves 4.