Sausage, Mushroom, and Sundried Tomato Lasagna

My guess, you have a lasagna recipe. My next guess is that you don't have one like this, which is a variation on your standard ground beef lasagna. This lasagna incorporates some strong flavors - Italian sausage and sundried tomatoes, making it more bold than your average lasagna.

The recipe I adapted this from didn't ask for sundried tomatoes, but I thought they would be a great addition, and I believe they were. In fact, the next time I make this recipe I plan to double the amount of sundried tomatoes; their flavor is so unique and adds so much flavor to pasta dishes. Now, if you do like the flavor of sundried tomatoes, let me suggest that you also try our Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano which is heavily flavored with the sweet savory flavor of sundried tomatoes.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano

Last week I was looking through some of my recipe files and I came across this delicious Macaroni Grill copycat recipe. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten about this tasty recipe because it truly is so good. There really are not too many ingriedents to this recipe, but the flavor is very full and is very good. The sundried tomatoes are the key*, and although they are slippery and difficult to cut, they are packed with flavor. And they are easy to find at your local grocery store; likely they will be in a jar near the bottled jalepenos and roasted red peppers.

Try serving with our Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia and followed with our 24-hour Fruit Salad or Perfect Lemon Tart.

Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano
Adapted from a copycat recipe I found online a few years ago
Pictures by Caroline

1-2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth*
1 cup heavy cream
1 chicken breast, diced*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 packet fresh fettuccini or bow tie pasta
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat; heat oil. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; cook until lightly golden and juices run clear, about 6-8 minutes. Take chicken off heat and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, melt butter over low heat with ¼ cup of the chicken broth, scraping the pan to deglaze it. Add garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes and the remaining chicken broth, increase heat to a boil. When you reach a boil, reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes leaving uncovered.
3. Add the cream, and bring back up to a boil, stirring continuously. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, add mushrooms and cooked chicken; continue to stir until sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and put back into warm pot; pour the sauce over the warm pasta, sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

*Note: This pasta could easily be made vegetarian by excluding the chicken and using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. The flavor would still be fantastic.