I was really looking forward to my recent visit to Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, because the theme was Italian Cucina Sunday Supper. Grace-Marie grew up in an Italian-American family, so her Italian dishes are always authentic and wonderful. She absolutely fulfilled my expectations with this succulent Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta with a Parmigiano and Mascarpone Sauce, plus Provolone Bruschetta with Cucumber & Pepper Salad, and Strawberry Glazed Italian Ricotta Cheesecake. Grace-Marie has told the story about how her Mom would never tell her what they were going to have for dinner, so each meal was always a big surprise. If this meal is an example, I would have been really happy to wait and find out when it was served.
First the chicken pieces and sausage were sautéed until browned, then held on a big sheet pan, covered, to keep warm. You can see the mise en place for the pasta vegetables in the boxes, waiting expectantly for their turn to be cooked.
Grace-Marie’s assistants, Miss Marty [on the left], and Miss Diane, cook the vegetables in three big pans. Diane is a surgical nurse during the day and Marty is a travel agent, so they come and help Grace-Marie cook for therapy. Finally the chicken and sausage are put back into the pans with the vegetables, and the mascarpone is added in dollops with the Parmigiano and mixed in.
The basil pesto was mixed into the pasta, and Grace-Marie began putting it on plates for the guests and topping it with big spoonfuls of the Chicken, Sausage and Cheese Sauce. The smells in the kitchen were mouth-watering the whole time the cooking was going on, and we finally were served this beautiful pasta dish. The sauce was exceptional and rich, along with the mushrooms and asparagus. It was soooo good! Thank you, Grace-Marie.
For additional recipes from Grace-Marie’s Kitchen, look under Categories in the right-hand column.
Grace-Marie Johnston
For more information about the new schedule of cooking classes, visit Grace-Marie online at Bristol Farms or email her at gmj@bristolfarms.com.
Chicken, Sausage, Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta
Serves 8
Ragu
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless & cut into 1-inch portions
1 pound Italian sausage (any variety), removed from casing
2 tablespoons dry Italian herb mix (purchased, any favorite brand)
To season – Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups yellow, brown or red onion, medium diced
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
To season, Kosher or sea salt & ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed then angle-sliced into 1-inch portions
1 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup Marsala wine
2 cups Parmigiano cheese, shredded or flaked
½ cup Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup basil, thinly sliced
1. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sausage. Season with the dry herbs, salt and pepper. Once browned, remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.
2. Using the same skillet (do not clean), warm the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and garlic. Sauté just until the onions are tender (2 minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper
3. Add the asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes to the skillet. Continue to cook just until the asparagus is crisp tender, the mushrooms are soft and the tomatoes barely cook (3-4 minutes).
4. Off the heat, add the wine, return the skillet to the heat, scraping up any browned portions, cook until it is nearly absorbed. Stir in the precooked chicken and sausage. Cook, stirring, just until warmed through.
5. Just before serving, stir the parmesan, mascarpone and basil into the ragu.
Serve
1+ pound favorite pasta, cooked in salted water to al dente
¼ cup purchased basil pesto
1. Toss the cooked pasta with the pesto. Serve on individual plates or a platter topped with a generous serving of ragu. Garnish with more parmesan cheese if desired.
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This looks so good… I rarely eat pasta because quite frankly I am not a big fan, usually it is filled with noodles and not much substance. Not this one. I think my family would love this dish. Is there a type of italian sausage you recommend? Did you use hot, mild or sweet sausage?
Hi Lynne,
This pasta dish sounds fabulous and definitely something my crew would love!
Your photos are gorgeous as always – what fun to get to go to class and be the official photographer!!
Hi Polwig ~ Italian sausage that was sweet or mild was used, not hot or spicy. But I think you could use whatever sausage you like best. Lynne xo
That looks wonderful. I love pasta!
I am guessing (an educated guess of course) that this is as good as it looks! Bravo, maestra!
To be honest, I have never seen anyone here in Italy make pasta with chicken, but this looks really, really good…maybe they should start.
This looks so yummy, and I can’t wait to try it! I have a question though. The recipe doesn’t call for roasted red pepper, but there is a picture of one. Is it supposed to be an ingredient? Thanks!
Roxie ~ I knew someone would catch me on this one. That roasted red pepper is actually for the Cheese Bruschetta with Cucumber and Pepper Salad that was also served. It’s not part of the pasta dish. Sorry for the confusion. Lynne xo
What a fantastic dish, just gorgeous!
Oh this looks too good! I wish I could have a big plate of this pasta right now. Thanks for sharing, my dear friend. It feels good to return to the blogs I love after such a hard and trying week. Your words and photographs bring a smile to my face.
I made it tonight knowing very well that my husband and daughter would love it and they did. She ate about 3 plates. I loved it too especially since I could eat the ragout with little or no pasta. It was delicious Lynne and even though I made half of your recipe, all 3 adults ate at least 3 plates each and still have tons of leftovers, my husband already put dibs on them to have the sauce in a sandwich tomorrow for lunch. THANK YOU !!!
Hey Lynne, I was wondering, If you want to cook this for kids, is it okay if you leave the wine out?
Hi Kay ~ Yes, you can leave out the Marsala wine. Your sauce will be missing one little flavor note, but it will be fine. It is a small amount of wine in a big pot of sauce and most of the alcohol evaporates as it cooks, so it might be ok for older kids. Thanks for asking. I hope you enjoy it. Lynne xo
Mary left this comment on my Contact page:
I made the chicken, sausage, dish this weekend, it was fab. My husband took it to lunch today and said don’t lose that recipe, it’s a keeper. So thanks and I love your site. Mary
HI….Made this dish for dinner tonight and have decided to serve it to our 12 Christmas eve guests since it was so delicious! How many people does the recipe serve? Will I need to double it or triple it? Thanks.
Hi Patricia ~ I was just thinking, since this pasta dish serves 8, you may not have to double it. It would depend on how many courses you’re serving and your portion size. Maybe you could get away with the straight recipe for 8. You will have to decide. Of course, there is nothing wrong with great leftovers if you were to double it. Lynne xo
Hi, I made this last week and it was delicious, but I had very little sauce, only the 1/2 cup Marsala wine, so I added a Jar of Vodka Sauce. Notice your comment for the person who wanted to omit the wine, and you said it was a small amount of sauce in a big pot of sauce. The only liquid is the wine, is something missing in the Recipe list?
I don’t often comment on a recipe, but this was fabulous!! I went exactly by the recipe, using hot sausage, because we like a little “kick” to our food. I would not change a thing….and will DEFINITELY be adding this to my recipe box. Thanks for a great dinner idea!