(24) Penne with Mushroom Sauce

Back in the kitchen! Hooray! I have an entire menu planned for the week. Hold me too it, please!

This recipe was easy and made with all ingredients I had on hand. I didn't have a can of beef consomme, so I used beef bouillion, which turned out fine. I loved the way this recipe had you layer the flavor! Be sure not to boil the liquid down too far (which I did and had to improvise - oops!!). This was just a nice weekday dinner. I served with a green salad and a leftover glass of merlot! YUM!

I also want to tell you that this recipe goes on my "to tinker with" list. I want to try this again with double the sauce, double the mushrooms, and some beef chunks... maybe some caramelized onions too! So many possibilities!

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Penne with Mushroom Sauce

Source: Cooking Light, AUGUST 2004
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Serve this rich dish with a warm baguette and the red wine you opened for the sauce.

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consommé
1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot cooked penne rigate (8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in thyme, pepper, and consommé. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 3 minutes). Strain though a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Keep consommé mixture warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes. Add reserved consommé mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Combine water and cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Combine sauce and pasta, tossing to coat. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 301 (21% from fat), Fat: 7.1g (sat 3.9g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.7g), Protein: 10.4g, Carbohydrate: 49.4g, Fiber: 3.1g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Iron: 3.2mg, Sodium: 441mg, Calcium: 32mg