Pasta with Sausage/Mushroom Sauce

I found this recipe in Food Magazine (one of my fav magazine) a few months ago, and finally gave it a try last week. It was such a hit, that I made it again last night.

I think what I love about this recipe is that it's very rich in flavors, but VERY easy to make. The meal take 20-30 minutes to make from start to finish. Which for me is perfect after a long day of work followed by a few hours at the barn.

The only modification to this recipe that I made was the type of pasta I used. The first time I used 3-cheese tortellini, which added another layer of richness to the meal. Last night I used simple penne. Both were good, it just depends on your preference. I could also see serving this with mushroom ravioli or linguini. I think simple spaghetti or anything lighter than that won't be enough to balance out the sauce, but what do I know!

Here's a link to the Food Network recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spaghetti-with-sausage-mushroom-sauce-recipe/index.html

Or here it is below with a few notes from me:
Ingredients
Kosher salt
12 ounces spaghetti (basically one box of pasta, whatever you like best)
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (you can definitely eyeball this!)
1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed (I use the loose sage sausage from Wagner's)
1 8-ounce package sliced mixed mushrooms (baby bellas are my favorite!)
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste (or about half of those small cans
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I used dried rosemary, and it worked just fine too!)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Shredded parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)


Directions
1) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.

2) Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, then add your mushrooms and continuing cooking until the mushrooms are done.
3) Stir in the tomato paste and rosemary and cook, stirring, 1 minute. 

4) Add the cream and 1 cup water; bring to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6) Add the pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. 

7) Top with shredded parmesan, if desired (highly recommend this!).