Rachael Ray's Linguini

Yall Rachael Ray is annoyingAF sometimes, but this recipe is too legit to quit. Make it! Make it for a group- it's so easy. It's much prettier with the mussels, but you can easily omit them from the recipe.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage with fennel seed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small red chili pepper, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon flakes
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine
4 cups chicken stock, plus one cup of water
1 pound box of linguini
About 32 mussels (around 1 pound, you want to serve 6-8 per person), scrubbed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. In large, wide pan or deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, brown and crumble the sausage in olive oil over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onion, fennel, garlic, chili pepper, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover pan and cook to soften, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Uncover, stir in tomato paste and add vermouth and stock. 
4. Bring to a bubble, add pasta, cover and cook 7-8 minutes, tossing with tongs occasionally. If the pasta is sticking to the bottom of the pan, loosen the pasta with water.
5. Add mussels, cover and cook 3-4 minutes more to al dente, adding more stock or water if needed. 
6. Add parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.