Italian food intimidates me.  I’ve heard the stories about Italian women spending entire days making sauce and unspoken recipes with no actual measurements. This scares me.  I didn’t grow up eating a lot of pasta and as a result never developed much of a taste for it.  But I’m well aware that the rest of the world is rather fond of it.  I’ve heard all the campaigns: It’s so easy! It’s so versatile! It’s so delicious!

These social pressures have, in fact, led me to obsessively keep a box of dry pasta in my pantry out of the fear that I will have an unexpected guest show up who wants pasta for dinner.  Now, this same box has moved with me to at least three different apartments.  As it turns out, people don’t frequently show up at my house demanding pasta.  Nonetheless, I’ve always been terrified that someone will ask for pasta and I won’t know how to cook it! Oh the embarrassment! Can you imagine? You can’t cook pasta!?!?! For shame!

They always say “But it’s so easy!  Just boil water and throw in the pasta!”  I didn’t believe them.  I was certain there was something they weren’t telling me.  Then they would toss around words like al dente and I’d be done for!!  But I had a revelation.  Thanks to Giada.

There was an episode of Everyday Italian where Giada was cooking with her aunt from Italy.  Now, we all can agree that Giada is the current Goddess of All Things Italian and I’m probably not the only person that considers her something of an expert on the matter.  Well, let me tell you, Giada’s aunt (who clearly paid no attention to the fact that they were being taped) certainly didn’t agree with me on this one!  Nearly everything that Giada did her aunt contradicted with a “That’s not how we do it” or “It shouldn’t be done that way.”

That was my moment.  If even Giada, Goddess of Italian Cooking, Diva of Al Dente, is being second-guessed and corrected by someone else, then all bets were off!!  I grabbed the simplest recipe I could find, threw my fear of pasta cooking aside and made a pretty-darn good meat sauce.  It didn’t take all day.  I made my boyfriend test the pasta for al dente-ness.  I can now officially say that if someone shows up at my house and demands pasta … I think I can handle it.

Penne with Sausage, Tomato and Mushroom Sauce
Inspired by Bon Appetite’s Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Mushrooms

- 2 1/2 pounds Italian sweet sausages, casings removed, crumbled
- 3 TBL olive oil
- 1 8oz. package of mushrooms (approx. 2 cups), thickly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
- 2 TBL dried basil
- 2 tsp fresh oregano
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree
- 2 TBL tomato paste
- 1 box whole wheat penne pasta or any of your favorite pasta shape
- 3/4 – 1 cup grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Sauté crumbled sausage in large pot over medium-high heat until brown, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl and set aside.
- Add oil to drippings in pot. Add mushrooms and onions; sauté until tender and brown, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in basil, oregano, and garlic; sauté 1 minute.
- Add wine; cook until almost absorbed, about 4 minutes.
- Add sausage and crushed tomatoes; cover and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 25 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and let simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
-  Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
-  Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well; return to pot.
- Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Add 1/2 cup cheese and  toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to serving dish.
-  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

Similar Recipes:

• Pork Bolognese
• Tri-Colore Orzo Pasta Salad
• Italian Sausage & White Bean Stew
• Lentil Soup with Spinach and Sausage

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