Mushrooms and Sausage Rigatoni
Don't be a noodle-brain, get your carbs in to stay fueled for training. We made it easy with this simple pasta dish to help you get cooking. Keep this one in your pocket for the week leading into an ultra, Fueling for an ultramarathon begins well before the event. At least 10 days before the race, carbohydrate intake needs to be increased to up to 70% of total fuel intake to ensure that carbohydrate stores in muscle (i.e., glycogen stores) are maximized. For many, this may require up to 7-8 g of carbohydrate per day for every kilogram of body weight.
Ingredients*:
½ lb Rigatoni (or GF Pasta)
½ lb sausage
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1lb mushrooms, cut into chunks
1 TBS unsalted butter
¾ C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
½ C grated Pecorino Romano cheese¼ C Dried bread crumbsOlive Oil
Salt & pepper.
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt. Add the pasta.
With a ladle or large spoon scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water to save. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet (large enough to hold all ingredients) over medium heat.
Scoop out the sausage and set it aside.
Pour out the sausage grease and place the skillet over medium-low heat.
Add ¼ cup of olive oil and the smashed garlic. Cook slowly to toast the garlic until very soft, fragrant, and golden brown. About 5 minutes.
Once the garlic is good, increase heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and saute until fragrant and getting brown at the edges. 6-12 minutes.
Pull the pan from the heat and add the butter and a few spoonfuls of the pasta water. Stir to make a creamy emulsion. Add the pasta and the sausage to the pan and toss.
Add the cheese and a bit more pasta water as needed to keep it creamy and toss.
Top with breadcrumbs and serve
