Mushroom And Veggie Sausage Pasta

This Mushroom And Veggie Sausage Pasta dish works very well as a weeknight dinner, but it's also a great meatless dish you can serve if you have any vegetarian or vegan guests during the holidays. You'll see dairy and dairy-free options in the recipe. The best part is, everyone will love it!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb short pasta (here we used a pumpkin shaped pasta )
• 1 lb baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 Spicy Meatless Italian Sausages sliced
• For the Bechamel:
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can also use butter or coconut oil)
• 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 cups low fat milk or plain unsweetened almond or cashew milk
• 1 tbsp powdered vegetable bouillon or nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• Grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan to taste (optional)
• Chopped parsley (optional)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Cook pasta following al dente cooking directions on the package. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking liquid, drain and set aside
2. 2While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil ina large skillet. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until all the water has evaporated. Set aside
3. 3Using the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced sausage and cook over medium heat, 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.
4. 4To make the béchamel, heat olive oil in a soup pot. Add flour and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to brown. Add milk, vegetable bouillon or nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it thickens
5. 5Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, sausage and reserved pasta water. Cook for about a minute and serve immediately. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley if desired