Pappardelle Pasta with Portobello Mushroom Ragu
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A quick and easy vegetarian pasta recipe — pappardelle with portobello mushrooms and rosemary.
A meaty portobello mushroom sauce combined with ribbons of al dente cooked pasta noodles make this a very satisfying plate, and you can make it on the fly. This is by far one of our most popular pappardelle pasta recipes.
The sauce is much like a traditional ragu or Italian meat sauce, except it’s meatless. It’s perfect with dishes like soft, cheesy polenta as well as over pasta — of course!
Portobello mushrooms with pasta
Portobello mushrooms have abundant earthy, woodsy flavors that match up perfectly with the piney, aromatic fresh rosemary, garlic cloves and red pepper. The caps are big and meaty, which means portobellos are great for stuffing, as well as roasting with garlic and herbs.
And with pasta, thick mushroom ragu and tomato sauces are best mates with pappardelle — the flat, wide strands coil and curl easily around a fork, catching all the juices and chunky bits of sauce. Yum!
What are portobello (or portabella) mushrooms?
I learned that portobello mushrooms (or portabellas) are simply the adult versions of cremini mushrooms. They’re cultivated a bit longer, until they’re 3-4 inches in diameter.
They’re marketed as cremini before growing into the oversized beauties we call portobellos.
Portobellos became all the rage in the 1990s, when mushroom growers realized the potential in allowing white button mushrooms to mature a few extra days.
How to prepare portobello mushrooms:
- Choose firm mushrooms with unbroken caps.
- Wipe the mushrooms gently with a towel if they seem dirty — don’t soak them in water or they’ll become soggy.
- The underside of the mushrooms, or the gills, should be tight, dry and light brown in color.
- Yes, you can eat the gills of portobello mushrooms. But if they look very dark in color and moist (verging on slimy) you can feel free to remove them or they might make the sauce murky.
- If the gills are moist and/or turning black, scoop them out with a spoon and discard before slicing and cooking over medium-high heat.
Pappardelle and egg noodles
- Pappardelle is a pasta cut into wide, long noodles. You can find it as fresh egg pasta, and it’s also available as a dried egg pasta and durum wheat pasta without eggs.
- The thicker, chunky shape of pappardelle noodles makes them ideal to use in pasta dishes with rich, hearty sauces like this mushroom ragu, or with cream-based sauces.
Pappardelle Pasta with Rosemary Portobello Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 2 ounces each)
- Kosher salt
- 3 (350 g) portobello mushroom caps (10 -12 ounces), sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces (225 g) pappardelle pasta, fresh or dried
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
- 1 chunk (50 g) Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Put the oil, shallots and a pinch of salt in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are softened, but not browned.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook the mushrooms for a few minutes until they take on some color, then stir and add ½ teaspoon salt. Continue cooking until the mushrooms become tender and their liquid evaporates.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to the package directions. Scoop out and reserve ¾ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the garlic, rosemary, red pepper, tomato paste, vinegar and butter to the mushrooms. Add ½ cup of the pasta water and stir over medium heat until the mixture becomes saucy. Add the pasta to the pan and toss gently with tongs to coat with the sauce, adding more water if it seems too dry. Taste for seasoning.
- Shave curls of Parmigiano cheese over the pasta with a vegetable peeler and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Any leftover pasta and sauce will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- The sauce coats up to 8 ounces of pasta. If you’d enjoy larger servings or are cooking one pound of pasta, add one more shallot and 1-2 additional portobellos. Increase the sauce by doubling the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and butter. Add up to 1 cup of the pasta water.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
More portobello mushroom recipes:
- Cheesy Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Roasted Vegetables
- Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese Sauce
- Mushroom Ragu with Parmesan Polenta
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Any Ideas for subbing tomato paste? I’m allergic to them. Thx
Hey Carol – That’s a tricky one! If you’re okay eating peppers, try using the same amount of pureed roasted red peppers (jarred are fine, be sure to drain them), adding a teaspoon of miso paste to the puree if you have it.