Marsala Cream Pasta

This recipe is perfect for a delicious weeknight meal. This healthy and flavorful meal is a crowd pleaser. Add our Gluten Free Maple Apple Crisp for dessert and your family will cheer!

2 Tbs Olive Oil

12 ounce sliced mushrooms (portobello, crimini, button, any mushroom really!)

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 red onion, julienned (cut into thin strips)

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 ounces Marsala Wine

24 oz heavy cream

6 oz baby spinach

4 ounces grated parmesan cheese

12-16 ounces dried pasta

1. Place large dutch oven or heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high heat and add oil. Once the oil starts to ripple, add mushrooms and a pinch of kosher salt. Toss to coat and distribute evenly over bottom of the pan. DO NOT STIR for at least 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to brown. Then give it a good stir and let it sit again. The mushrooms need time to connect with the heat and release their moisture, trust me on this! If it's starting to look really dry, give it a splash of oil. Mushrooms will absorb a lot of liquid before they start to release theirs.
2. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat for pasta. Hopefully, this will be coming to a rolling boil about the time you're finished with step number 4.
3. Once mushrooms have started to brown, add bell pepper and onion. Sautee another 5  minutes then add garlic. Toss to coat and as the garlic begins to brown add the wine to deglaze the pan, releasing all the fond (brown bits of flavor). Scrape with a wooden spoon to get it all up. Reduce wine by half and add cream.
4. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until cream has reduced by ⅓ and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring frequently. Don't let it burn on the bottom! Reduce to low heat. Add parmesan cheese.
5. Cook the pasta! The Spinach, Basil, & Garlic or Garlic & Black Pepper Fettuccine from Gourmet Texas Pasta are fantastic with this sauce. As is my old standby, cavatappi.
6. While pasta is boiling away (should take 8-12 minutes depending on pasta) add spinach to cream sauce. You might need to add this in a few batches. It cooks down fairly fast.
7. Once pasta is cooked al dente, reserve a cup of pasta water. Add pasta to sauce and give it a good toss. Let some of that pasta water carry over too. Not a lot. Just don't shake all that extra water out. If the sauce is too thick add a little reserved liquid to thin out to desired consistency.

There are so many variations with this recipe. This is basically my base cream sauce. Add chicken or spicy Italian Sausage. Serve it over spaghetti squash or gluten-free pasta too! Swap out the Marsala wine with your favorite white. Double it for a stronger flavor. Add in 4 ounces of gorgonzola for a gorgonzola cream sauce. You can even serve over a steak! Add 4 ounces of tomato sauce for a delicious pink sauce.

Recipe by Kelly Stockdale