Thursday, March 19, 2009

Fettuccine with Sausage, Garlic, and Mushrooms

A couple of years ago when I was browsing the Costco book tables - honestly those stacks of books can be a veritable treasure-trove - I picked up the Williams Sonoma cookbook Meats & Poultry in the series "The Best of the Kitchen Library." Every single recipe that I've tried from the book has been absolutely great (so good that I have now aquired several more titles in the same W-S series, also at Costco). So when I chose the Fettucine with Sausage, Garlic, and Mushrooms I figured it would be at least a decent plate of pasta. And I'm happy to report that WS came through again! [recipe at the end of this post]

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I ran out of white wine so I splashed in a bit of red too.

- I sliced up some Aidell's Chicken Andouille for the sausage

- When cooking the garlic, I added a shake of red pepper flakes.

- The pasta was a garlic and parsley flavored fettucine, made by Al Dente. I love this brand of pasta; the flavors are good and it cooks very quickly (2-3 minutes). [update: I've found this pasta at Whole Foods and also at our local Publix supermarket. The company's website is here]

the verdict:

This pasta recipe is excellent! My husband liked it so much that he went back for seconds when his first serving was only half gone! The garlic and the mushroom liquid combine for a fantastic earthy flavor. I think it could be just as good with chicken stock and a touch of vinegar as with the wine. We enjoyed the little kick from the spicy sausage and the red pepper.

I love that this pasta recipe is neither tomato-based nor dairy-based - makes for a nice variety.

I can also report that the leftovers were great from the freezer!


I'm submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights , a wonderful roundup of noodle-based dishes. This week's hostess is Pam of Sidewalk Shoes , so stop over there on Friday to check out all the delicious pasta dishes!

the recipe:

Fettucine with Sausage, Garlic, and Mushrooms

3/4 lb cooked low-fat smoked chicken sausages
1 T olive oil
2 lg cloves garlic, minced
1 lb white or cremini mushrooms, brushed clean and thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb dried fettucine

1. Slice the sausages into rounds about 1/4 inch thick.

2. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When it is hot, add the sausage slices. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms have softened and released some of their liquid, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the wine, bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. While the sauce is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettucine, stir well, and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes, or according to the package directions.

6. Drain the fettucine and place in a warmed shallow serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the top and toss briefly to combine. Serve at once (stopping just long enough to photograph, of course!)

serves 6

16 comments:

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Love those book tables! Think I'd love this too.

Jessica said...

I love to look at the cookbooks in Costco and I actually spent a good 30 minutes perusing the WS books a couple of months ago and they did look fantastic. The pasta sounds delicious!

Maria said...

Pasta and mushrooms are a dream combo in my book!

CM said...

I love how you add little tweaks to recipes to suit your tastes or the ingredients you have on hand! Looks delicious!

Reeni said...

I love that it is so quick and easy! And it is a delicious change from sauce based pasta. It looks wonderful1

Karen said...

This looks so good. I love to go to WS site and peruse their recipes there, too!

Audrey said...

I think your husband's "review" says it all! I love it when every recipe I try from a book is a keeper...and this is one I'd like to keep! The pasta itself sounds yummy with those flavors, so I hope I can find it here.

Cathy said...

This is exactly the kind of dinner we like during the week, and the flavors in this look particular good. And it freezes well too? Huge bonus! I love those WS books. Costco gets me into so much trouble. I go there for the 56 roll pack of paper towels and the box of 565 diapers, and leave with paper towels, diapers, three cookbooks, 12 pack of Littlest Pet Shop figurines, and a Garmin.

Anonymous said...

The pasta looks delicious. I always peruse the cookbooks at Costco, but never buy. I'm glad to know the WS cookbooks are great.

Elyse said...

Mmmm, this pasta looks so darn good. I love sausage and pasta together. If you are truly not afraid of a ton of garlic with your pasta, you should check out the recipe for Dracula's Revenge (which also has sausage: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222650). It is soooo delicious. Love the sub of red wine in this recipe, by the way!

natalia said...

Ciao ! What a grat pasta ! It looks really great and super good !!I would love to partecipate to the pasta nights !!

Ruth Daniels said...

Great combo - my own personal faves which I always thought needed to go with tomato sauce. Thanks for opening my eyes.

As for Al Dente brand..it is awesome.

Thanks for sharing everything with Presto Pasta Nights. Hope you head back soon.

NKP said...

Ooh, my mouth is watering. This looks so good. I love pasta..

The Food Hunter said...

Looks great.

Anonymous said...

I have been wanting to get a few of those cookbooks. I saw them at Tuesday Mornings and almost bought two but decided to wait. Now I will have to go back. Awesome recipe

Anonymous said...

the ingredients that went into the pasta are a fav with me..good one