Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Artichokes

I'm hooked on Smitten Kitchen. Every recipe that I've tried has been awesome! 

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and chopped into small bits
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 tablespoon for pasta water
1 cup dry Marsala wine

1 lb. pasta (I used a 13.25 oz box of medium shells, I think a pound would have been too much)

1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, quartered
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream (I used half and half)

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Splash of Balsamic vinegar

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for one minute. Add the mushrooms and one teaspoon of the salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper, then adjust seasonings to taste. I added a little Balsamic vinegar, as suggested by the original author. It definitely added a nice zing.

  

Review - Definitely a keeper! Everyone devoured this dish. Josie didn't care for the artichoke hearts, but I didn't chop them up so the pieces were a little overwhelming for a three year old. Eli inhaled his pasta. Jay had two servings. I served with my standard spinach salad. Not terribly time consuming. The hardest part was chopping the mushrooms. The rest of the dish goes together fairly quickly.