I am blessed to live about 10 minutes away from a small, independent shop that makes incredible fresh pasta – and actually sells it at very affordable prices.
The pasta is so much better than the dried stuff available at the supermarket (and roughly the same price!) and it just begs to have a special sauce on it – and this mushroom ragu is a great choice.
Perfect with thick pappardelle, this sauce mimics a ragu bolognese but it is completely mushroom-based – and therefore vegetarian – using a mixture of fresh mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms.
It’s hearty and meaty and perfect for a fancy Italian meal. But it’s also super simple to make and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish!
How to Make Mushroom Ragu with Pappardelle
Start by roasting your fresh mushrooms – this is a similar process I use in my cottage pie recipe and my leek & mushroom galette as it mimics minced beef.
All you need to do is grind up some mushrooms in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also always use a sharp knife to finely dice the mushrooms – just note that this will add some prep time.
Toss the ground mushrooms in some olive oil, salt and pepper and then add them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Move them to a 200°C/400°F oven and roast until they’ve shrunk significantly, are deeply browned and beginning to crisp – this will take about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can also soak your porcini mushrooms in some boiling water to rehydrate them. Let the mushrooms soak for at least 15 minutes.
After that, use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the mushrooms (reserve the liquid – you will use it later!!) and then roughly chop them.
While your fresh mushrooms are roasting and your dried mushrooms are soaking, you can also get started on the base of the sauce.
In a large skillet, add some finely diced carrot, shallot and celery. Season generously with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are beginning to brown and have softened. This will take about 10 minutes.
I always urge you not to skip out on this step as it’s really essential in developing the flavour of the ragu – even though it’s tempting to only cook it for a few minutes.
Once your veggies are appropriately cooked, add in some minced garlic, thyme, sage and some tomato paste. Cook this just until fragrant – not more than 2 minutes.
Then, add in your mushrooms – both roasted and rehydrated. Stir to combine and then go ahead and deglaze with some dry white wine.
Cook this until the wine is reduced and the strong alcoholic smell has cooked off – this is only another couple of minutes.
Now, go ahead and pour in the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid along with some parmesan cheese. Bring this to a simmer and allow it to keep warm while you cook the pasta.
Add your pappardelle to a large pot of boiling water and cook it for a little bit less than the package suggests (and you can definitely use dried pasta over fresh!). Once the pasta is done, use tongs to add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.
You can add some pasta cooking water to the sauce if you think it needs to be loosened or if the consistency needs to be adjusted.
Then, remove from the heat and serve immediately – and top with more parmesan cheese.
Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 g (3 cups) mushrooms button, crimini or portobello or a mixture
- 20 g (¾ cup) dried porcini mushrooms
- 1-2 shallots finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely diced
- ½ large carrot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 60 ml (¼ cups) dry white wine
- 10 g (2 tbsp) parmesan cheese finely grated, plus more to finish
- 250 g (½ lb) pappardelle pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Roughly chop the fresh mushrooms and add them to the bowl of a food processor (see notes). Pulse several times until the mushrooms are finely ground. Add the ground mushrooms to a large mixing bowl and toss in 1 tbsp of olive oil plus 1 tsp of salt. Spread over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Move the mushrooms to the oven and roast until very browned and greatly reduced in size, about 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Set aside until needed.
- Meanwhile, add the porcini mushrooms to a small, heatproof bowl and pour over 250 ml (1 cup) of boiling water. Cover and allow to rehydrate for at least 15 minutes. Then, use your hands to squeeze as much of the liquid as possible from the mushrooms (reserve the liquid). Finely chop the mushrooms.
- During this time, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the shallot, celery and carrot along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, sage and thyme. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant and the tomato paste begins to darken – about 2 minutes.
- Add both mushrooms and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine has reduced and the strong alcoholic smell has cooked off – about 2 minutes.
- Pour over the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and add the parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where necessary. Keep the sauce warm as the pasta cooks.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook for a minute less than the package suggests. Use tongs to lift the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce. Toss to coat in the sauce, adding a splash of pasta cooking water where needed to loosen the sauce. Cook for a minute longer and serve, topping with more parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This pappardelle pasta with mushrooms is quick and easy to make and is almost reminiscent of a ragu Bolognese. It’s perfect for a vegetarian version of an elevated – yet rustic – Italian meal.
Are you looking to make a mushroom sauce for pappardelle? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
