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.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s gotten rave reviews from my friends and family. Doubled the recipe just so I could enjoy some leftovers!
Great flavor, different from your average pasta night dinner. I will add less crushed red pepper next time because it did bring some heat to the dish but, still delicious. Thank you!
This was a simple dish to make and has a wonderful flavor. Will make again!
This was delicious!
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m happy you enjoyed it Catherine!
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe. I will be adding this in my rotation.
it looks and sounds yummy. it say to scoop 3/4 c of water then use half for the sauce but what do you do with the rest of the water?
Hi Ann – Add enough of the water to the pan until the texture is as saucy as you like. You don’t need to use all of it. I hope you enjoy!
Can you make this mushroom sauce ahead?
Hi Maria – Yes, you can make the sauce a few days ahead! When you’re ready to cook the pasta, proceed to step 4, adding the pasta water to the sauce in a skillet and heating until it simmers.
Delicious!!! I’m a very slow chopper and preparer of ingredients. That said, it took me over an hour to make this.
Just tried this recipe tonight as it looked delicious, and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve loved the combination of flavours and I’ll be making this again. Next time, I’ll need to double it or else there’s only enough to serve 2 people vs. 4 (IMO). It has the perfect level of heat but you could cut back on the red pepper flakes if spicy 🌶 is not your thing. I may try it with penne pasta in the future as well. Excellent and total yum so thank you so much! 😋
The very best pasta I have had, since our Italian vacation. Next to my own lasagna, my new favorite pasta. Easy, quick, and delicious.
Absolutely delicious
This was absolutely delicious! I somehow didn’t have sufficient Ragu for my noodles but I have extra so I’ll make more. I have every intention of making this ragu again and again! Thanks much for posting this recipe.
Easy and yummy! Will definitely make again. Have already shared to family and friends!
That’s a beautiful plate!
Lovely recipe. It is easy to bring together and tastes great. I’m wondering if I could make the mushroom sauce ahead and freeze it. I’m having a dinner party and would love to have as much done ahead as possible as we will have overnight guests before and after the party.
Hi Cathy – Yes, you can make the sauce ahead. I suggest doubling it (using a larger pan). When you cook the pasta, proceed to step 4, adding the pasta water and heating until it simmers. I hope you all enjoy!
Came upon this recipe while searching for a meatless dish (it’s Lent no meat on Fridays, hey I’m a Catholic and Italian). What a delight! Easy to prepare and incredibly delicious. I did add a second clove of garlic , again it’s an Italian thing ☺️, other than that followed recipe. It was the perfect amount for wifey and me. Served with a crusty Italian bread and some Pinot Grecio…era excellent. Give this recipe a try you won’t be disappointed…. Bon Apetito!
Wonderful! So happy you both enjoyed the pasta, Joseph. More garlic is good for the soul.
I can’t wait to make this pasta dish!
Was so delicious! Added sliced Italian sausage Was a big hit
Loved loved loved this dish. I go for anything mushroom so I def wanted to try. I did add some pancetta bc I forgot to defrost a meat to go with the dish. Also added some white wine as others mentioned and a little black truffle butter along w the recipe butter amount bc I had it on hand and… Duh. Truffles! Thank you so much for such a solid recipe!
Loved this recipe. Quick & easy but super tasty. I used fresh pasta which made it even nicer. One question though, ‘red pepper’, is that paprika or cayenne pepper, or something else? Googled but results were mixed. In Oz, red pepper is chillie or paprika (capsicum).
Crushed red pepper is what I use — in the US, it’s coarse-textured red chili pepper. Glad you enjoyed this with fresh pasta!
Thank you for this exquisite recipe! Everyone loved it. I added kale and white beans and they complemented the sauce. I am working on delicious vegetarian recipes and yours is an excellent one to add to my repertoire. Thank you! 😊
That’s a beautiful meal!