Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Mascarpone

This has to be one of my absolute favorite pasta dishes.  I'm not sure what part I like the most -- the creamy cannellini beans, the salty bite from the sausage or the luxurious sauce that you get from the mascarpone.  All of them come together in such a simple and rustic dish that your friends and family  will love.  Don't be surprised if they start asking for the recipe!  Just add some crusty white bread or a small salad and you have a complete meal on the table in under 30 minutes.

The first step is to get the water boiling for the pasta, so I put the pot on the stove and put a lid on it.  While you wait for the water to boil, you can get all of your veggies ready.  This is meant to be a rustic dish so don't focus so much on the perfect cuts.  Once you have them chopped, go ahead and heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  You are going to be browning the sausage and the cooking veggies in the same pan so choose a large enough skillet to allow yourself the room you need.

Chopped veggies ready to go!

When your water is boiling add the pasta to the water and cook it until just al dente. Now, this is one of those terms you might hear on cooking shows or at restaurants and think it is just fancy chef talk, but it really makes a difference to the end result of your dish. You don't want to overcook your pasta or the texture will be too soft and take away from the contrast between the beans and the sausage.  So, set a timer if you have to but don't forget about your pasta!

While the pasta cooks, add the garlic and onions to the oil and sauté them for a minute or two with the dried herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the sausage to the pan and begin to break it up with a wooden spoon.  I prefer to leave the pieces larger but you can break it up as small as you like.  I hold off on adding the mushrooms until a little later because you don't want to risk breaking them up while you brown the meat.

Add the mushrooms to the pan after the
sausage is almost cooked through.

While the veggies are continuing to sauté you can drain and rinse the beans.  Canned beans are a great pantry staple that I always have on hand.  They are a weekday cooks dream and as long as you rinse them well they will taste great.  Once rinsed, add the beans to the pan with the mushrooms and sausage and mix them gently.  By now the sausage should be cooked and safe for you to taste. This is the perfect time to test your seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Add the rinsed beans to the pan

Drain the pasta (don't rinse it) and add it back into the large pot that you cooked it in over medium-low heat.  Add the  sausage and veggies to the pot with the pasta and stir in the mascarpone cheese.


For those of you who have never cooked with mascarpone, it is most often thought of as an ingredient in the classic Italian dessert Tiramisu.  But don't let that dissuade you, because it works perfectly in this savory sauce.  It works best when at room temperature so it can melt smoothly but if you take it out the fridge when you start the recipe that should be enough time.  It won't immediately melt into the dish so be patient.  Put the lid on the pot to give it a chance to melt.  You can use this time to clean up your work area and get out bowls for the pasta.

After adding the cheese let
it melt into the pasta.

Check the pasta after about 2 minutes and give it another couple of stirs to fully incorporate the cheese. The mascarpone will melt into the warm pasta and make a very light creamy sauce for the dish.  Let it heat through and then give it another quick taste to see if it needs any more salt or pepper.

And that, my friends, is all there is to it.  Magic, right?

Close up of the cheesy creamy goodness!

Recipe:
Cellentani pasta (or any variation of your choice!)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Yellow onion - chopped
Portabella mushrooms - 1 8 oz container chopped
1 lb. Sausage - regular or turkey sausage
1 garlic clove - minced
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
1 Tbs Herbs de Provence or Italian Herb Mix
1 container Mascarpone cheese
Kosher salt
Black pepper

This recipe is a spin off of a pasta dish found in Giada's Kitchen - New Italian Favorites cookbook.