This is my husband Conrad’s favorite pasta dish. Since we do not eat pasta that often when we do, we always pick something one of us love. I am half Italian and grew up eating pasta weekly. I absolutely love the texture of an al dente pasta finished with a beautiful fresh sauce. This truly makes my heart sing. This recipe is so simple and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes for a perfect weeknight meal. Just add a green salad and you are good to go. 

This recipe can also be made with gluten-free pasta as well. There are so many new gluten-free pastas on the market I will mention below some of my favorite types and brands. 

Yield 4 servings 

12 ounces of pasta, my favorite is orecchiette
1 lb. ground Italian pork sausage
Olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
½ lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 head of radicchio, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and pepper

Put a pan of water on the stove on high heat with a lid for the pasta. Continue heating until the water is at a full boil.

In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp of oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot break up the ground sausage in the pan and add the onion. Let the sausage and onion cook on the one side without stirring until golden brown. Once one side is brown stir and then let the other sides brown. Continue doing this until all sides are golden brown and the tiny bits on the bottom are a deep dark brown. Place the sausage and onion mixture on a paper towel lined plate so that it soaks up any of the remaining oil. 

Once the water is boiling pour in the pasta, 1 Tbsp oil, and enough salt to make the water salty like the sea. Boil the pasta until it is al dente. 

While the pasta is cooking, use the same skillet as earlier and add 3 additional tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the mushrooms and sauté until they are all golden brown. Much like the sausage, stir as little as possible so that the mushrooms caramelize nicely. Once they are brown add the radicchio and sauté for 1 minute and remove from heat. 

When the pasta is done, pour it in a colander to drain. Pour the pasta back in the pot. Add the sausage, onion, radicchio, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp oil, and stir. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the pasta and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. If desired you can sprinkle additional parmesan cheese over the plated pasta when serving. 

Some of my favorite brands of gluten-free pasta are Banza, Jovial, and Divella Senza Glutine. 

Just Salt It, and enjoy!