Week 38: Artichoke and Sausage Pasta

I don't care much for artichokes, but they seem like such a fun and sophisticated food that I am trying to make myself like them. Thus, an artichoke pasta dish.

Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Taken from Giada di Laurentiis

Makes 6 servings
Prep and cook time is about 40 minutes



3/4 C drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
2 Tbsp of oil from sun-dried tomatoes, reserved
1 lb Italian hot sausages, casings removed
2 (8 oz) packages frozen artichoke hearts
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 C dry white wine
16 oz fusilli pasta
1/2 C shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
1/3 C chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 C chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
8 oz water-packed fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl.

Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse).

Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

My notes:
I won't be making this one again. There just wasn't much flavor; I'm choosing to blame that on water that seeped out of the frozen artichokes. Oddly enough, Brad loved it.