Pasta Boscaiola
A comforting Italian pasta dish featuring a creamy tomato sauce enriched with mushrooms, pancetta, and fresh herbs.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Large Pan
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, finely diced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms quartered
- 3 shallots finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- to taste fine sea salt
- to taste freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb uncooked pasta mezzi rigatoni works beautifully
- 0.75 cup heavy cream
- to taste freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Soften the dried porcini mushrooms in vegetable broth by simmering for 15 minutes. Keep the broth for later use.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.
- Cook pancetta in a large pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Set aside, leaving fat in the pan.
- Sauté baby bella mushrooms in pancetta fat until golden brown. Add shallots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up browned bits.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and cooked pancetta to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Chop softened porcini mushrooms and add with strained broth to the sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cook pasta until just shy of al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Stir heavy cream into the sauce, then mix in the pasta, adding reserved water as needed. Season to taste.
- Serve immediately topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of cream or broth.