Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Sausage

Having a new baby means that my time spent in the kitchen has been drastically cut down for the most part. Luckily for me, I have a husband who is more than willing to take over the bedtime routine so I can get my cooking groove back.

During the week I've been keeping things pretty simple but this past week I decided to spice it up and make this recipe I found on Pinterest from one of my favorite magazines, Food & Wine. This recipe jumped out at me because let's face it, anything with goat cheese, caramelized onions, and portobello mushrooms has to be delicious.

 Let me assure you - it was delicious and then some. The pasta is creamy and tangy with the caramelized onions adding just enough sweetness to balance it. The mushrooms add earthiness to the pasta and with my addition of Italian sausage and a quick deglaze of white wine, it was a perfectly hearty meal. Sure you could leave out the sausage but if a meal doesn't have meat in it, my husband gets a week bit cranky ;)

Enjoy!

Ziti with Portobello Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Sausage 
(adapted from Food & Wine)

1 lb sausage, cooked & sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pound portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound ziti
4 ounces soft goat cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms, white wine, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown and the wine has cooked off. Add the reserved onions, the parsley, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. 

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain. Toss the ziti and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water with the mushroom mixture, the goat cheese, and the Parmesan. Add the cooked sausage to the pasta. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan.