Rustic Mushroom Marsala Pasta is a fantastic, easy, and delicious recipe that I have been making a bunch this summer. Fresh pasta is an incredible vehicle for amazing sauces, and anything mushroom is my first choice this season. I am fortunate here in Colorado to have incredible farmers’ markets in many of the towns surrounding my town of Berthoud. The one in Loveland is a fantastic example of the bounty of local farmers of the Rockies’ Front Range. Every Sunday in the old fairgrounds under a vast canopy, they set up their booths. Loveland’s market has a great variety of vendors from organic vegetables and some tasty bakeries to even a knife sharpener. There always is a wild mushroom vendor. They carry several kinds of mushrooms, I love to explore the different flavors. And this pasta sauce recipe is perfect for trying out some of the beautiful kinds they offer.
I have found that Trumpet mushrooms are a perfect addition to this recipe. Trumpet, known by the names king trumpet, French horn, and king oyster, is an edible mushroom with a thick white stem and a flat brown cap. All of the trumpets can be cooked and eaten. When cooked, the meaty texture is sometimes compared to a mild seafood flavor such as calamari, abalone, or scallops. Trumpets have a hearty base flavor that makes it a great stand-in for meat for many vegetarians. Trumpet mushrooms have been called the “cheap porcini”—full of flavor, but not as expensive. I really like their flavor, and I bet they would be excellent deep-fried in batter too. (though anything is good deep-fried!) I have also used Lion’s Main and Oyster, and even Morels are all fantastic.
If you followed last week’s post, you can see that making fresh pasta in wide flat long noodles are a fantastic way to serve this pasta dish. I just cut the noodle by hand and left them long. It made eating them a bit of an adventure. But the end result was the rustic look I wanted. You, of course, could substitute any shape pasta, both fresh and dried. But the wide Pappardelle was perfect.
For this Rustic Mushroom Marsala Pasta, I used both grated both Parmesan and Compté. If you have never heard of Compté, it is one of my absolute favorite cheeses. I discovered it long ago on a trip to Paris. I was lucky enough to go on a bicycle trip around the gardens of Versailles. The farmer’s market we stopped at to pick up some things for the picnic had huge wheels of a cheese I had not seen before. Me being the adventurous type, got a big chunk to eat with our roast chicken. And I swear it was the best cheese I had ever had. It is a nutty, creamy cheese in the Gruyere family, but it has its own smooth, tasty character that I fell in love with. It has been my favorite cheese ever since. I love it with crackers anytime I can get some. But it is also fantastic on sandwiches and grated into recipes. Compté can be found in better grocery stores, particularly Trader Joes and Wholefoods. Both have it regularly. But If you can’t find it, a gruyere or even a swiss would work wonderfully.
A note about cooking in a skillet: the key to cooking mushrooms is to not stew them in their own juices. But to have enough room in the pan to quickly evaporate the moisture as the mushrooms cook down. I recommend using a 12-inch skillet for this recipe, like this one from Amazon. If you don’t have one, a 10 inch will work. But cook the mushrooms in batches to not overcrowd the pan. I hope you try finding some exotic kinds of mushrooms to make this pasta dish. It is a great way to explore what you can find. Let me know in the comments below what you have used. Have a good week and stay safe out there!
- 1 lb fresh or ¾ pound dried pasta I used fresh Pappardelle using my recipe for fresh pasta on whattomunch.com
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz mushrooms white, cremini, trumpet, morel, etc.
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 1/3 cup Marsala
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated Compté cheese
- 1 cup of pasta cooking water
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
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In a large pot, bring the water to boil for the pasta.
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While the water is heating up, heat a large skillet over medium heat. I used a 12-inch skillet so the mushrooms will have room to cook. If you have a smaller 10-inch skillet, cook the mushrooms ½ at a time to help the moisture evaporate.
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Add the butter, the olive oil, and the sliced mushrooms.
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Sauté, frequently stirring until the mushrooms have released most of their moisture and just began to brown.
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While the mushrooms are cooking, keep an eye on the pasta water.
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When the water has come to a boil, salt the water heavily and add the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente. If you are using fresh and the pasta is very thin, this will only take a few minutes. If you are using dried, follow the package directions for the amount of time.
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Make sure you reserve a cup of starchy water from cooking the pasta.
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While the pasta is cooking, add the chopped shallots to the mushrooms. Continue to cook until the shallots have softened.
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Pour in the Marsala and stir to bring up any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing) Then add the cream.
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Let the sauce reduce at a bubbling simmer for a minute or two.
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By now, the pasta should be cooked or almost cooked, make sure you remove 1 cup of the starchy cooking water and add the water to the bubbling sauce.
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Drain the pasta and set aside briefly.
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Let the mushroom sauce cook for a minute to combine the starchy water with the rest of the sauce.
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Add the parsley and taste the sauce to see if it needs any more salt or some pepper.
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Add the pasta to the simmering sauce in the skillet and toss to coat, lifting and stirring to make sure the noodles are completely coated. If the sauce seems a bit watery, don't fret as the pasta will continue to absorb.
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Serve with more parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.
About the mushrooms, I used a combination of cremini and trumpet. You can use any combination of wild and domestic mushrooms. If you are lucky to have a farmer's market with a mushroom vendor, go wild! I have used Lions Main, Oyster, and Trumpets. All are delicious. If you want, you can use all white button mushrooms, and this sauce is still fantastic.
