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Mushrooms with pappardelle is a great meatless meal.
A Great Meatless Meal
Quite a while ago, a friend and I were discussing how much our eating habits and tastes have changed after reaching 50.
With me it was a case of not being able to eat huge meals anymore since too much food on a plate was actually intimidating. With her it was that she really didn’t want to eat meat every single night. That was in my top 10 as well. It really has nothing to do with any “cause,” it’s merely that your taste changes when you age.
Even if you have no age-related inclinations as my friend and I did, you surely won’t miss eating meat when you have this scrumptious mushroom and pasta dish placed before you. If you hate mushrooms, just skip this post LOL. I can’t think of an adequate substitute!
Mushrooms
In this recipe, the more “gourmet” the mushrooms are, the better it will taste.
It’s not really easy to find a good selection of gourmet-type mushrooms (i.e. Trumpet Royale, etc) in most food stores. But I’m sure everyone can find portabellas, baby bellas or cremini.
The mushrooms I used in this were re-hydrated ones I got off of Amazon. I generally prefer fresh, but that wasn’t a possibility here. The big surprise here is that since they are dehydrated, they last forever so I don’t have to worry about them going bad and having to throw them away.
Another good thing about dehydrated mushrooms is that the liquid you use to re-hydrate them can be used as stock. That’s a win-win the way I see it.
Pappardelle
I’ve never seen this pasta variety in the store brand or even a national brand. This is one pasta shape that you can only seem to find the imported variety. It’s also available in the fresh refrigerated pasta section.
Pappardelle is wide and thick so it’s good for hearty and rustic pasta dishes. It’s one of my favorites and I make sure I have it on hand when I make my bolognese.
However, if you can’t find it or if you just don’t want the extra expense. a regular thick spaghetti such as bucatini or a thick non-tubular shaped pasta such as gemelli is a good substitute.
The Recipe
Mushrooms With Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 1/2 lb mixed fresh mushrooms shiitake, oyster and/or cremini, trimmed and sliced
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 12 oz pappardelle
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- While the water is heating, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Add about half the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they begin to wilt and make space in the pan; then add the remaining mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until they give up their liquid; then increase the heat to boil the liquid away and caramelize the mushrooms, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, salt and red pepper flakes just until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cover to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add the pappardelle to the boiling water, and cook until al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions. When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it to the sauce, reserving the pasta water. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the parsley and toss to coat, adding a little reserved pasta water if the pan seems dry. Remove the skillet from the heat, and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Toss and serve hot,
