Sausage & Mushroom Linguine

I made this for my "baby" sister's 29th birthday dinner *sniff sniff* and the hubs liked it so much he asked me to make it the next week!  It was so easy to throw together, but special enough to serve to guests.  Make some today...then spend 2 hours on the elliptical!

Ok, so it doesn't take a pretty picture, but don't knock it, its CRAZY TASTY!


Sausage & Mushroom Linguine


What you need:
1 pound Italian sausage (I used Jimmy Dean, remove casings if using links)
1/2 to 3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1/4 c. diced onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3/4 c. (or more) chicken broth
3/4 c. heavy cream


1 pound linguine
1 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz.)  Pass on the green can and get a block of the good stuff.  Its worth it for this dish!


What you do:
Brown sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked sausage to a plate.  Add onions to sausage drippings and cook until the begin to soften, 3 or 4 minutes.  Add mushrooms, crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning to skillet.  Saute until mushrooms are tender and add garlic.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes more.  Add broth and cream and set aside.
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.  (note:  I didn't use the full pound of pasta.  I used about 3/4 a pound because we wanted it meatier, the choice is yours)  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add sausage, mushroom mixture, and cheese.  Toss over medium heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.  Steal a taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Add broth by 1/4 cupful if mixture seems dry.  Serve with a sprinkle of grated parm and listen to your guests oooohh and aaaaahh!