Portobello Mushroom Pappardelle
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This is a quick and easy vegetarian pasta recipe — mushroom pappardelle pasta in a savory sauce (ragu!) thick with chunky portobello mushrooms and rosemary. The meaty-tasting 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!
I would describe the sauce as inspired by a traditional ragu or Italian meat sauce, only it doesn’t use any meat at all.
Portobello mushrooms with pasta
Portobello mushrooms have abundant earthy, woodsy flavors. I love the way they match up 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, a thick mushroom ragu is a best friend with pappardelle — the flat, wide strands coil and curl easily around a fork, catching all the juices and chunky bits of sauce. Yum!
I used to work in a produce market in high school, I still remember learning that portobello mushrooms (or portabellas) are simply the adult versions of cremini mushrooms. It seemed pretty interesting! They’re cultivated a bit longer, until they’re 3-4 inches in diameter.
How to prep portobello mushrooms:
- Choose firm mushrooms with unbroken caps. The underside of the mushrooms, or the gills, should be tight, dry and light brown in color.
- Wipe the mushrooms gently with a towel if they seem dirty — don’t soak them in water or they’ll become soggy.
- 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.
Portobello Mushroom Pappardelle
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.Â
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 per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
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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Just made this and my husband and I both loved it! It had amazing flavor and was quick and easy to make!
This recipe is such a find! It’s delish and looks like the cover of Bon Appétit! Had an empty bottle of balsamic, so used a splash of red wine. Divine!
My mother came to visit for the weekend and I made this for dinner for us. It not only was super easy to put together, but was absolutely delicious and full of flavor. It’s hearty, yet didn’t feel too heavy. Robust flavor, but doesn’t require a myriad of ingredients and spices. It was a big hit and a recipes I will continue to come back to not only for myself, but for when I have guests as well.
Amazing! So happy you and your mom enjoyed this!
This was excellent! The only change I made was to use sun dried tomatoes instead of tomato paste. Will definitely make it again.
So happy you liked it Deb! Love the sun-dried tomato swap 🙂
This was delicious! The market was out of Rosemary because of Thanksgiving so I had to revive some less than fresh rosemary I had in the frig. Next time I will be prepapred.
Divine. I had to use white mushrooms because that’s what I had… next time I’ll be prepared. A new favorite!
Going to try this tomorrow night. Looks delicious. My only question is, with the pasta, how can the amount of carbs be 8 g? That’s impossible.
Hi Ed – Regarding the amount of carbs, keep in mind the nutrition facts are calculated based on 4 servings of a total of 8 ounces of pasta (2 ounces per serving). I use Nutritionix for my recipes, but you can always use another calculator as they can differ in accuracy. I hope you enjoy the pasta!
I wondered the same about the carbs?????
Hello!
Am I able to make this without the butter?
Thanks!
Hi Emma – Absolutely! Just leave the butter out. You can add an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to each plate instead.
I know this is supposed to be vegetarian and the mushrooms are a good meat substitute but my husband is really wanting me to add meat to this. Any suggestions?
Hi Lauren – Yes! Try some crumbled bulk Italian sausage meat in there – cook about 1/2 pound or so in a separate pan and add it in Step 4 along with the pasta. Hope you both enjoy!
Absolutely delicious.. I have made it twice and wouldn’t change a thing!
Can’t wait to make this. Always looking for a good vegetarian recipe and this was looks delicious!
I am making tonight for second time. Amazing! Love, love, love it and how simple it is to make.
So happy you’re enjoying this recipe Sue! It’s one of my faves too.
Don’t change a thing, it’s excellent! The mushrooms become the meat and it’s very satisfying. Thank you for posting the recipe, I’ll be making this one again and again.
Delicious and easy!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I just made this dish, and OMG! It was so, so good! Definitely a keeper!
This was delicious! Made it for my fiancé tonight – we’ve been together 5 years, and he said it was by far the best thing I’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing. 🙂
Jennifer I’m so glad to hear that! You made my day. I wish you both many more delicious meals together 😉
If I’d rather use dried rosemary, what quantity would you recommend?
Hi Emilie – Try 1/2 – 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (taste to see how you like the flavor).
That sauce sounds incredible, what a perfect pasta dish!
Can’t wait to prepare this delicious dish tonight for my Vegan Son! You make dinner so much more fun and simple with your amazing recipes 😉
Awesome! Tell me how he likes it xo
Yet another great easy recipe. Great comfort food
Thanks David!
Looks delicious!