Saturday, May 4, 2019

Sun-dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta

Easy, Italian-style recipe: Sun-dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta in a Garlic and Basil Cream Sauce. Enjoy this meatless pasta as is, or serve it with grilled chicken or grilled veggies!
Easy, Italian-style recipe: Sun-dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta in a Garlic and Basil Cream Sauce. Enjoy this meatless pasta as is, or serve it with grilled chicken or grilled veggies!


Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 oz mushrooms sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes diced
  • 2 cubes chicken bullion (use Vegetarian "Chicken" Bouillon for vegetarian version)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil or up to 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
  • 1/2 lb fettuccine pasta

Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms and garlic - and cook the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.
  2. Dissolve 2 cubes of chicken bullion in 2 cups of boiling water. Carefully add the broth to the skillet - continue to cook the vegetables in a chicken broth on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat. Add half and half, heavy cream and bring to boil just for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add the basil.
  3. If your sauce is too thick at this point - add another 1/2 cup half and half. If your sauce looks thin to you - do not continue simmering the sauce to thicken it as you will be adding pasta shortly (in the next step) - and pasta will absorb some of the sauce liquid. Even if the sauce looks thin now, it will not be so thin once you add pasta.