A very sweet friend stopped by the other day to give me a beautiful painted dish with an adorable crab on it. (Thank you!?)
She knows that crab just happens to be one of my foodie obsessions. Like those big fat lumps of sweet succulent deliciousness that basically melt in your mouth…
Yeah, that kind.
I have to recommend splurging on the good stuff here–jumbo lump. You can find it freshly packaged; it lasts a long time yet leaves out the fishy smell typical of canned seafood. Plus, because it’s already cooked and ready to be tossed into any recipe, it’s a huge time-saver.
And that brings me to one of the very many reasons I’m in love with this recipe. You can have gourmet-tasting, romantic-looking, nutritious comfort-food ready in minutes! Perfect for Mother’s Day, dinner with someone special, or even a busy weeknight when you just deserve it.
All it takes is sautéing up some onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper (+/- any veggies you want) with some minced garlic and Italian seasoning, then mixing in a tomato-based pasta sauce (–> Dave’s Gourmet Red Heirloom!!!), and tossing everything with cooked linguine, tons of jumbo lump crabmeat, flavor-packed artichokes or olives if you like, and cheeeeeeese.
For the cheese, you can use any shredded Italian-style variety (mozzarella, fontina, parmigiano-reggiano, etc.), but if you really want to bump up the flavor, try “Bruschetta Monterrey Jack” (I find it at Publix)…It will rock your world.
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 - 1 red bell pepper
- ~1/4 yellow onion
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp white wine
- 1 cup tomato pasta sauce*
- 4 oz whole grain linguine
- 6 oz cooked jumbo lump crabmeat
- 2 jarred artichoke hearts or 2-3 black olives, chopped
- 1 oz shredded cheese**
- Slice the mushrooms, and roughly chop the bell pepper and onion. Mince garlic, and shred cheese for later. Boil a pot of water with a generous pinch salt.
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions for al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium/large nonstick skillet (add more if needed). Add onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat several minutes, stirring occasionally. When veggies are almost done, stir in garlic and cook an additional minutes. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits. Reduce heat.
- Stir sauce*, crab, and olives/artichokes with the veggies in the skillet. Heat over medium-low a couple minutes or as needed. Add drained pasta and shredded cheese, and gently toss to combine. Cover until melty. (You could also divide the pasta first, then add sauce and cheese to each bowl.)
- Enjoy!
- *I highly recommend Dave's Red Heirloom, but another variety or homemade will work!
- **Freshly shredded fontina, parmigiano-reggiano, mozzarella, any Italian blend, or "Bruschetta Monterrey Jack"