Tortellini with Marsala/White Wine Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ah, pasta and pasta sauce, the staple of many a college diet. I hear people bemoaning their basic pasta dinner all the time, but it’s really fairly easy to do it up a bit. Sure, the cream and butter make for a slightly less healthy option, but given the choice between a good red sauce and a good white sauce, I’d pick white every time. Especially when it’s a wonderfully wine-y mushroom cream sauce. Mmm nomtastic.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of tortellini

• 10 or so mushrooms (button or cremini), sliced

• ½ C marsala

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ medium onion, diced

• 2 T unsalted butter

• ½ C dry white wine

• 1 C heavy whipping cream

• 10 leaves fresh basil, chopped

• ½ tsp oregano

• Salt and pepper

• Parsley

• Parmesan cheese

Dry saute the mushrooms until they begin to release their moisture and are slightly browned. Deglaze with marsala and boil down to a glaze, scraping up any browned bits. Add the garlic and onions with butter and saute for a few minutes. Deglaze again, this time with white wine, and scrape up any browned bits.

Stir in the half of the cream and let the sauce reduce for about 5 minutes. Add basil and oregano and stir in the rest of the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over pasta and sprinkle in parmesan and parsley.