Recipe submitted by: @mikaylacooks_
Sausage, mushroom, and marmite pasta is a comforting, flavorful dish that is perfect for a cozy night in. This dish is easy to make and uses simple, yet flavourful ingredients that are likely already in your cupboard!
Marmite’s distinctive, umami flavour adds depth and complexity to this dish. Combined with the savoury sausage and earthy mushrooms, the flavours of this pasta dish are sure to satisfy. Using the reserved pasta water and grated cheese helps to create a creamy, indulgent sauce that coats the pasta perfectly. Plus, the addition of garlic breadcrumbs and fresh thyme leaves adds texture and a pop of colour to the dish.
This recipe is also highly adaptable. If you prefer a vegetarian version, simply omit the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of milk. You can also swap out the mushrooms for other vegetables or add more spices to the mix to suit your personal taste.
Ingredients
- Penne pasta
- 1 medium onion
- 6 sausages / a pack of sausage meat
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- 100ml milk
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- A punnet of chestnut mushrooms
- Marmite
- Hard cheese, such as Parmesan
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Heat a little olive oil in a large sauté pan, slice the onion, add to the pan and cook slowly to caramelise.
- If you’re using sausages, slit the skins and squeeze out the meat. Crumble the sausage meat and add to the pan.
- Combine with the onion and add the thyme sprigs, then spread the mixture evenly around the pan and leave to sizzle uninterrupted for a couple of minutes. You want it to brown, then take it just a little bit further til the bottom becomes crisp and gnarly, which will boost the flavour and add texture.
- Scrape off the bottom of the pan, then repeat.
- At this point, put your penne on to boil and cook according to packet instructions.
- Add the milk to the sausage meat, stir to loosen then follow with the crushed garlic, mushrooms and a heaped spoonful of marmite. Cook on low.
- When the pasta is al dente, remove from the heat and drain, reserving the pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the sausage mix, along with a ladle of the starchy water and some grated cheese (be generous!).
- Serve and garnish as you wish. I loaded mine with extra parmesan, garlic breadcrumbs, picked thyme leaves and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
