Fettuccine With Mushrooms – ($10 Or Less Meal)

This is an easy, inexpensive and quick meal that’s rich without being full of heavy (fattening) creams and tons of butter. I found this recipe in Rachael Ray Magazine. This fettuccine recipe was created by Tony Mantuano, Chef/Partner of Spiaggia, a four-star Italian restaurant in Chicago. Chef Mantuano was awarded the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Midwest. The finished dish looked delicious in the magazine and I was pretty sure I could cook it for $10 or less, for a family of four (which we did.)

You can use white button mushrooms for this recipe which will be the least expensive mushrooms or add a variety. I used a half and half mixture of the button along with portabella, which gave it a heartier flavor. The pasta and mushroom price came in at $7.36 and then we added a loaf of crusty bread I found on sale for 99 cents, along with a simple salad of lettuce and cucumber, rounding out the meal for a total of $9.85. I used canned chicken broth but if you have homemade broth on hand, use that for even more flavor. And if you can’t find Parmigiano-Reggiano for a decent price, use parmesan.

Have all your ingredients ready and your water boiling for the pasta before you begin cooking your sauce. Once you’ve added your pasta, start the sauce and everything will be ready at the same time.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS –

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4 for approx. $7.36

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pound mushrooms (whatever variety you want), halved or quartered
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound dried fettuccine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Get a pot of water boiling for pasta. Once the water is boiling, add your fettuccine and cook according to package directions until al dente. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook until lightly browned, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, cook, stirring until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot. Toss in mushroom mixture and pasta water; cook over medium heat to heat through. Toss with the parsley and cheese.