The thought of not having mushroom ravioli again made me a little sad, so I developed this gluten-free, dairy-free recipe that satisfies my urge for that distinct mushroom and pasta flavor without the labor-intensive chore of making homemade gluten-free ravioli. This recipe actually comes together quite quickly, but you’d never guess it from the rich, savory flavor.

Despite the name, the sage butter sauce doesn’t contain dairy because I use Earth Balance, a dairy-free butter substitute, in this recipe. You can also use a version of this sage butter to garnish other recipes. I sometimes use it to garnish my butternut squash soup.

The crispy sage pairs nicely with the mushroom, sweet onion and thyme in this recipe. In fact I like the sage so much in this recipe I usually use more than what I listed here. You can adjust the amount of sage to fit your tastes. Because of this recipe, sage is now a staple in my herb garden so I have easy access to it, at least for part of the year.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of gluten-free linguine cooked according to package directions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup sweet onion (like Vidalia), diced
• 2 cups crimini or portobello mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil or butter/Earth Balance
• 15 large, fresh sage leaves, chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Prepare gluten-free linguine, or your favorite gluten-free pasta, according to package directions, generously salting the water while cooking the pasta.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté about 8 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add thyme and black pepper to skillet and cook 2 minutes more. Add wine and turn off heat (If you don’t have wine on hand you can substitute 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or go without it, but it does add a savory flavor to this dish).

Meanwhile in small skillet or pan heat 1/4 cup either olive oil, Earth Balance or your favorite butter substitute. Add chopped sage leaves and cook until their color changes to a darker green and they get a little crispy.

Add mushroom mixture and sage sauce to drained pasta and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.

For a more distinct wild mushroom flavor you can use a variety of mushrooms instead of just cremini or portobellos. I like to add shiitake mushrooms to this recipe when I have them on hand.