Mushroom Pappardelle
This hearty pasta recipe is a meatless dish featuring golden pappardelle pasta in a rich San Marzano tomato sauce loaded with oyster mushrooms. While most mushroom pastas are known for having a heavy cream base, this pasta sauce recipe boasts a rich tomato base. The addition of shallots, red wine, and fresh thyme only add to the big flavors of this mushroom sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Mushroom Pappardelle
Mushroom lovers are going to love this mushroom pasta sauce. Not only is it super tasty, it is easy to create. It makes for a great Meatless Monday meal or a weeknight pasta. Earthy and mild, mushrooms are the perfect partner to tangy, bright San Marzano tomato. Pappardelle is made of rich egg pasta with a thick ribbon shape—the perfect pasta noodles for a chunky pasta sauce such as this.
Ingredients and Equipment Needed To Make Mushroom Pappardelle
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A great olive oil is at the heart of so many Italian dishes. We start this mushroom sauce by heating up the oil for sautéing the shallots and mushrooms.
Shallots: Unlike onions, shallots bring a sweet, sharp flavor but without the heat. Chopped shallots melt into the hot oil to create a mild sweet fragrance—just one of the many layers of flavor in the final sauce.
Oyster Mushrooms: Oyster mushrooms are beloved the world over for their delicate texture and mild, savory flavor. Because their flavor is mild, without the strong earthiness of some mushroom varieties, they work well in a range of different dishes. Oyster mushrooms also take on a tender, pleasing texture when cooked. I’m able to find some fresh each week at my local farmer’s market. If buying pre-packaged, discard any slimy mushrooms.
Pappardelle Egg Pasta: Egg pasta is more sturdy, but also richer with a golden hue. These pasta noodles are great for heartier ragùs and chunky sauces. DeLallo Pappardelle comes packaged in dried pasta nests making them excellent for portioning.
Fresh Thyme: Skip the dried stuff and go for fresh herbs when you can. Fresh thyme has a minty, earthy, almost lemony flavor that really complements the acidic tomato. This fresh herb brings a subtle fragrance to the final dish.
San Marzano Tomatoes: The tomatoes themselves are longer and skinnier than a regular plum tomato, with a thin skin and thick flesh. The smaller size and dense flesh lead to less of that watery goop in the middle, meaning they have more flavor than other, similar types of tomatoes.
Minced Garlic: Um, garlic. ‘Nuff said.
Red Wine: (Optional) I recommend using a bold, dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Côtes du Rhône or Zinfandel.
Butter: Butter rounds out and softens the flavors of the bright ingredients. It also adds a creaminess to the final mushroom sauce alongside the grated cheese.
Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese: Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is the perfect finish to this earthy, robust mushroom sauce. In particular, this hard Italian cheese adds a complementary nutty, salty flavor to pasta dishes. This is why it is used so often as a final sprinkling.
Kichen Equipment: Solid Cast Iron Skillet, 12-Quart Stainless Steel Stock Pot, 4-Quart Stainless Steel Pot, BPA-Free Immersion Blender, Teak Wooden Cooking Spoons,
Mushroom Pappardelle Recipe
Serves: 4 , Prep Time: 10 Min, Cook Time: 30 Min
Ingredients
2 shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 TBS minced garlic
12 ounces Oyster mushrooms, sliced
28oz can peeled San Marzano Tomatoes (DOP if possible)
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
2 tablespoons butter
Freshly grated Imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat 1 TBS oil in 4 Quart Pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not yet browned.
Add entire can of San Marzano tomatoes to the 4 Quart Pot; use immersion blender in the pot on low-med/high until tomatoes are thoroughly blended and sauce is smooth.
Bring sauce to boil, then reduce head to low to simmer and reduce for 30 mins
In the meantime, add remaining 2TBS olive oil to cast iron skillet until shimmering. Once that happens, add sliced mushrooms to the pan and cook until they become tender and their liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente texture. Drain but do not rinse!
Once mushrooms are tender, stir in thyme, red wine, and butter to the mushrooms. Cook and stir on medium-low until the mixture becomes saucy about 3-5 minutes. Add the hot pasta to the pan and toss gently to coat.
Divide pasta into bowls and top with tomato sauce.
Serve sprinkled freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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