Making pasta is a great way to fill up, and an easy way at that. While I normally prefer to hand make pasta for stuffed or noodle styles, sometimes store-bought pasta just does the trick. This sausage and mushroom rotini is a dish I made just using what I had on hand for a simple, yet satisfying lunch. This dish doesn’t use cream, but if you wanted a heavier dish try my Creamy Sausage Pasta.
Rotini is a corkscrew shaped pasta that is similar to fusilli. The difference between Rotini and Fusilli is that the former is extruded through a machine and the latter is wrapped around a metal rod. Of course, that doesn’t stop mis-labeling in markets all over the world. I like Rotini because of its fast boil time. Due to the large surface area, dry rotini only takes around 6 minutes to al dente.
This sausage mushroom rotini just uses two ingredients I tend to have on hand at all times. Sausages freeze well, and both ingredients can be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And mushrooms, which are especially handy for Autumn mushroom recipes.
Making this dish is not difficult at all. I just sauté the crumbled sausage in some butter and olive oil, and when browned on the outside I add the mushrooms and a bit of finely diced shallot. Here I add a bit of black pepper and some garlic powder. While this is happening I am boiling the pasta, since the entire dish only takes about 10 minutes. As soon as I add the meat to the pan, I add the pasta to the boiling salted water.
Once the pasta is done I reserve a quarter cup of pasta liquid and then strain the noodles. You don’t need a lot of water for this dish, since the “sauce” is just the starchy water, butter and fat from the sausage, and some grated cheese. For this I chose Gran Padano as it’s my go to over Parmigiano Reggiano.
After grating on a bit of cheese I mix the pasta so the sauce is well mixed in with everything, then serve. I top with more cheese, red pepper flakes, and some chopped green onion. However you can top with whatever you like. One of my secret ingredients for making pasta amazing is grating over some cured egg yolk. This sausage and mushroom rotini tastes great, is super easy, and holds extremely well for leftovers.
Sausage and Mushroom Rotini
Equipment
- Pan
- Pot
Ingredients
- 4 Italian Sausages crumbled
- 300 grams Mushrooms sliced, I used Cremini but you can use whatever is easy
- 500 grams Rotini Or any spiral or ridged pasta you have
- 2 Shallots finely diced
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Salt for the pasta water (you won't be eating this much salt)
- 1 tsp Black Pepper freshly cracked
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes more or less to taste
- 100 grams Gran Padano grated, can also use Pecorino Romano or Pamigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- After decasing and crumbling the sausage, add them to a pan on medium heat with some butter and olive oil. Boil a pot of water and add the tbsp of salt. As we are only using the pasta water to salt the entire dish, it has to be heavily salted. Once the sausage begins to brown on the outside, add the pasta to the water.
- Add the mushrooms and finely diced shallot, along with some pepper and garlic powder. Stir the pan around to mix everything up. Let cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until the pasta is done.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add it to the pan, then strain the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the pan along with half of the grated cheese. Mix everything up so the pasta is coated in a bit of the liquid-y "sauce". Taste for salt and add more if you think you need it.
- Plate and top with some red pepper flakes, more grated cheese, and garnish with some chopped green onion if you want. You can also use flat leaf or curly parsley.
Notes
