creamy sausage gravy pasta
in brainstorming ideas for meals, the hubby had a revelation. he said, 'baby, you should make something with sausage gravy for dinner. i said, ' uh, what? sausage gravy?' he said, 'people always limit sausage gravy to breakfast and it is so good!' i said,' baby, i think you are on to something!' my mind started rolling with ideas! oh, i will do this and oh, i will do that. i ended up adding bell pepper and mushrooms to make it more 'dinner-like'. so, i made the dish and i had to give him his props on this one. it was finger lickin' good. now, don't get us wrong. this gravy would go well over my homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe. dang...i might be making some biscuits tonight, too. lol! anyway, whether over pasta, biscuits or even rice, this dish is some kinda good.
ingredients:
- 1 pound penne pasta -
- 1/2 pound pork sausage - feel free to use the sausage of your choice
- 1/2 onion - chopped
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper - chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter -
- 1/2 pound mushrooms - wiped clean with a damp towel, sliced
- 2 tablespoons flour -
- 1 1/2 cup milk - i used 2%
instructions:
- bring a large pot of water to a boil. generously salt the water and add the pasta. cook according to package instructions. drain and set aside.
- heat a skillet over medium high heat. add the sausage to the pan (i did not add oil to the pan). cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. if there is a lot of oil in the pan, drain some of it off. add in the onion, garlic and bell pepper. saute and cook until the onions are translucent.
- meanwhile, heat another pan over high heat. once hot, add the butter and mushrooms.
- salt/pepper the mushrooms (to taste) and saute until browned. add the mushrooms into the sausage mixture.
- sprinkle the flour over the sausage mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. continue to cook for a few minutes to cook off the flour taste.
- gradually add in the milk, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan.
- allow the mixture to thicken by bringing it to a bubble while continually stirring. reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about another 3 - 5 minutes or until the flavors marry. serve over the reserved pasta.
recipe notes:
- i did not use oil to cook the sausage, as i thought the sausage rendered enough oil. however, if you are using turkey or chicken sausage, you may want to add a small amount of oil to the pan.
- i used regular milk, not the added expense of half and half or heavy cream. since i added flour to the mixture, it thickened the milk up very nicely.
- i used the sausage in a roll (like jimmy dean). i find that ground sausage cheaper. however, if you find some on sale in a package, use it and stock up.
- my jimmy dean sausage roll did not render much oil at all. if you use a sausage that renders a lot of oil, pour some of the oil off before adding the veggies.
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