Once again, I’m here to remind you that, when it comes to authentic cooking, the Italian way is smooth and easy: making pasta with mushrooms follows the flow and calls for just a few ingredients. Gather together garlic, olive oil, fresh parsley, and chili. Then, choose the pasta and the mushrooms – most probably the ones you’ll find at the market.
Finally, put on the apron and a cheerful Italian playlist and indulge in a Fall gastronomic adventure.
What mushrooms for pasta
Here, I used the mushrooms I found at my greengrocer: Cardoncelli, King Trumpet, and Pioppini, Black Poplar, and mixed them. But I’ve tried the recipe also with Porcini and Champignons!
About quantities and serving
I usually cook between 80 (2.8) and 100 grams (3.5 oz) of pasta per person. I add twenty to fifty grams (0.7 to 1.8 oz) to each serving if I buy some delicious “pasta fresca”, fresh pasta, at the neighborhood lab. This, as I consider it a main dish to be accompanied by a salad or other vegetable side dish.
Traditionally, for a mushroom condiment, in Italy we opt for long-shaped pasta: the ones that sound best to me are Linguine, Fettuccine, Tagliolini, Tagliatelle, and Pappardelle. This doesn’t mean that we limit ourselves and neglect other short-shaped pastas!
For the condiment, 250 grams (8.8 oz) of mushrooms is enough for two servings. But I might even double that if we are hungry or craving mushrooms like we always are at the beginning of the season.
![](https://www.gourmetproject.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1-1-171x228.jpg)
Pasta with mushrooms the Italian way
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz pasta of your choice 200 gr
- 8.8 oz mushrooms Champignons, Porcini, King Trumpet, or Black Poplar - 250 gr
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon parsley freshly chopped
- 1 chili pepper our Peperoncino
- sea salt and pepper
Instructions
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Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil - about two liters (half a gallon) and one tablespoon of salt.
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Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms under the - cold - running water, just the time to loosen any dirt. Dry them with a kitchen cloth and slice them by a centimeter (scarcely half an inch) vertically.
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With the blade of a large knife flat on it, crush the garlic clove by pressing your lower palm - no need to peel it.
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If you like spicy flavors, carve the chili and keep the seeds. If not, keep it whole, and you'll get a slight hint of spicy.
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Finely chop the parsley.
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In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium/low heat for a minute or so. Add the garlic and the chili pepper, and sautè them until the garlic gets a brownish crust. Immediately discard them. Toss in the mushrooms, a pinch of salt, and half the parsley. Mix, cover, and cook for less than ten minutes. Check every now and then, especially after a couple of minutes: if needed, add a quarter cup of water to avoid the mushrooms from sticking to the pan.
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Toss the pasta into the boiling water and cook it according to the package directions for "al dente". A couple of minutes before, collect some of the starchy cooking water with a cup and set it aside.
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Once both the pasta and the mushrooms are done, drain the first and transfer it to the skillet. Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water - more if the mushrooms turned out very dry, but I doubt it. Combine well, turn the heat to high, and sautè until a creamy film enfolds the pasta.
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Garnish with the remaining parsley, and serve your pasta with mushrooms hot.
Enjoy your easy Italian pasta with mushrooms!
Claudia