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Pasta alla Boscaiola (Creamy Mushrooms & Sausage Pasta)
Pasta alla Boscaiola is a classic Italian dish, with its origins claimed by both Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.This pasta is perfect for autumn and winter. It's a rich, savory, and creamy comfort food, just like Creamy Pumpkin Tagliatelle or Mushroom Risotto.The key to this dish is its flavorful sauce, made mainly with mushrooms and sausage. A little tomato adds color, and some cream makes it even richer and creamier. But the true stars are the mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 350 g pasta - 12 oz, penne rigate
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - extra virgin
- 1 onion - medium size or 1 shallot
- 300 g sausage - ~10 oz
- 150 ml dry white wine - ~½ cup
- 350 g mushrooms - ~10 oz, champignon or porcini mushrooms or a mix of mushrooms
- 200 g tomato passata - ~1 cup
- 200 ml heavy cream - ~1 cup
- salt - to taste
- 1 bunch parsley - chopped
- 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano - grated
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add a whole clove of garlic (you’ll remove it later) and some finely chopped onion. Let the garlic and onion sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become fragrant and slightly golden.
- While the garlic and onion are cooking, chop some fresh parsley. You can either chop it by hand with a knife or use an electric chopper to save time. Next, take the sausage and remove the casing (the outer skin). Once the casing is removed, break the sausage into small pieces with your hands.
- Add the crumbled sausage to the frying pan with the garlic and onion. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until it browns evenly and becomes fully cooked.
- Once the sausage is browned, pour in the white wine. Let cook for a minute or two until most of the alcohol has evaporated.
- Now, add the sliced mushrooms. Stir everything well to combine.
- Then, pour in the tomato passata. The tomato is just meant to add some color to the sauce, so you don’t need too much. Stir again to mix everything together.
- Sprinkle in some of the chopped parsley, and season with salt to taste.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes on low heat. The mushrooms will soften, and the flavors will blend together.
- After the sauce has been cooking, it should have thickened. At this point, remove the clove of garlic from the pan.
- Now, it’s time to add the cream. The cream will make the sauce rich and creamy without overpowering the other flavors. Stir in the cream and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes to thicken slightly, then turn off the heat.
- While the boscaiola sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt to the boiling water, then add the penne pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until it’s al dente (firm to the bite). This usually takes around 10 minutes, depending on the brand.
- Drain the cooked penne and immediately transfer it to the pan with the sauce.
- Stir everything together so that the pasta is well coated with the creamy mushroom and sausage sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, you can add a small splash of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up.
- Finally, sprinkle in some freshly grated Parmigiano cheese and a bit more chopped parsley. Give everything one last stir, then serve your Pasta alla Boscaiola while it’s still hot and steaming. Buon appetito!
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 913kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 29gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 566mgPotassium: 1078mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 2271IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 4mg
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