Tagliatelle with Sausage Mushroom Cream Sauce Recipe

This pasta dish is a hearty minefield of flavors that will make you so happy on a chilly night! How can you go wrong with pasta, creamy sausage sauce, and some amazing mushrooms to bring even more depth to the sauce?

Recipe by: Angela and Mark Persicke of Cooking With Wine

INGREDIENTS

Tagliatelle:

• 1 pound store-bought tagliatelle or fettuccine

Sausage Mushroom Cream Sauce:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage, removed from its casing
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• 12 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sweet vermouth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8 tsp white truffle oil
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the Sauce

1. To a large pan on medium heat, add the oil to coat the bottom. Add the sausage and break it up as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and almost cooked throughout, about 5 minutes. Just before the sausage is finished cooking, drain off the excess fat rendered from the sausage, leaving behind about a tablespoon. Add the onion at this point and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the rosemary, fennel seeds, cloves, and cream to the sausage and stir. Turn the heat off and set aside.
3. In a separate large skillet, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat until it stops foaming. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender and have begun to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, and salt; stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in the vermouth and wine to deglaze and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the mushroom mixture to the sausage and cream mixture and stir. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Keep this mixture on low while you cook the pasta. When the pasta is almost done, add the truffle oil and Parmesan to the sauce. The sauce will be thick and creamy and can be thinned slightly with water from the pasta when the tagliatelle is finished.

Cook the Pasta and Finish the Dish

1. Bring some salted water to a hard boil and add the tagliatelle. Cook according to package instructions, tasting for doneness. Remove the tagliatelle to a large serving bowl and toss with the sauce to combine. Use a small amount of the pasta water to thin out the cream sauce if necessary.
2. You can garnish with chopped oregano leaves, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, or toasted breadcrumbs.