Sun-dried tomato and mushroom pasta in a garlic and basil sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz mushrooms sliced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes diced
• 2 cubes chicken bullion (use Vegetarian "Chicken" Bouillon for vegetarian version)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 tablespoon dried basil or up to 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1/2 lb fettuccine pasta

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms and garlic - and cook the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.
2. Dissolve 2 cubes of chicken bullion in 2 cups of boiling water. Carefully add the broth to the skillet - continue to cook the vegetables in a chicken broth on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat. Add half and half, heavy cream and bring to boil just for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add the basil.
3. If your sauce is too thick at this point - add another 1/2 cup half and half. If your sauce looks thin to you - do not continue simmering the sauce to thicken it as you will be adding pasta shortly (in the next step) - and pasta will absorb some of the sauce liquid. Even if the sauce looks thin now, it will not be so thin once you add pasta.
4. Cook fettuccine al dente according to the package instruction. Drain and rinse in cold water (this will stop the cooking). Add the fettuccine into the sauce and continue cooking the sauce with the pasta in it, on medium heat, for a couple of minutes (or more - to achieve the desired thickness) stirring constantly to coat well.
5. Note: do not add salt to the creamy sauce because it should already be salty enough from the dissolved chicken cubes. Only in the very end when the sauce is done, you may add some salt if needed.

Recipe Notes

WHAT IS HALF AND HALF? Half and half is the US milk product that combines half milk half cream to form a lighter cream unlike heavy cream. To make 1 cup of half and half, combine 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup regular cream (heavy, or whipping cream).

This article and recipe adapted from this site