This creamy mushroom pappardelle is a winter dream. Thick strands of pappardelle pasta coated in the most luxurious creamy mushroom sauce. It’s flavored with aromatics, sherry wine, herbs, and parmesan cheese. A little lemon juice adds a bright finishing touch. You’ll love this pasta for your next winter dinner party, but it’s also simple enough for any night of the week.
creamy mushroom pappardelle – the inspiration
My local farmer’s market here in Chicago has an indoor season, and this is the first year I’ve been making full use of it! While walking around an outdoor market on a sun-filled summer day sparks inspiration to create fresh, vibrant dishes, this cool indoor space inspired a more rustic approach.
I found beautiful carrots and a bounty of leeks tucked away in corners, winter greens spanning the tables, and the most stunning mushrooms I’ve ever seen.
Next to the assortment of fresh mushrooms were jars of dried morel mushrooms, earthy and potent, begging to be rehydrated to flavor a winter pasta dish.
the cooking process
This recipe moves fairly quickly, meaning once you’ve got the heat under your pan and are starting to build your sauce, there’s not much time needed in between each addition of ingredients. To keep up with the cooking pace, I recommend having all of your ingredients measured and prepped before starting.
The sauce starts by browning the mushrooms (I like cremini and shiitake for an interesting mix of texture, plus the rehydrated morels for a deep flavor). You’ll continue to build the sauce with aromatics, butter, sherry wine, herbs, cream, and parmesan cheese.
After simmering and thickening, the pappardelle gets tossed in and coated with the sauce. It’s finished with lemon juice to brighten everything up.
serving ideas
This mushroom pappardelle is really hearty and satisfying, so it can easily stand on its own as a main dish. You can pair it with a simple salad and call it a day.
It’d also work well on a larger menu with some sort of meat as the main dish – maybe seared ribeye steaks, a beef roast, or a slow-roasted pork shoulder. Add on simple vegetable sides such as this roasted broccolini with calabrian chili vinaigrette.
PrintCreamy Mushroom Pappardelle
thick strands of pappardelle pasta coated in the most luxurious creamy mushroom sauce
servings: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ oz dried morel mushrooms
- 1 cup hot water
- olive oil, as needed
- ½ lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed + roughly diced
- ½ lb shiitake mushrooms, trimmed + quartered
- kosher salt, as needed
- freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup sherry wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ lb dried pappardelle
- ½ lemon, juiced
extra (optional) mushrooms:
- ½ lb blue oyster mushrooms, trimmed + sliced into smaller pieces
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Place the dried morel mushrooms in a bowl and submerge them in the hot water. Let soak for 30 minutes.
- Measure and prep all ingredients (the cooking process moves quickly, so it’s really helpful to have everything ready).
- Heat a 10”x2” saute pan over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. Once hot, add the cremini and shiitake mushrooms. Saute until golden brown, about 6 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Season well with salt and black pepper.
- Drain the morels (reserve the “mushroom broth”) and roughly chop them. Add them to the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallot and garlic. Cook for another minute or so. Add the butter and let it melt. Pour in the sherry wine, along with the bay leaf, oregano, and thyme. Bring the wine to a simmer and cook for a minute. Pour in the heavy cream and mushroom broth. Season well.
- Bring the cream to a simmer. Whisk in the parmesan cheese until melted. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for about 8 minutes, stirring often. At the same time, drop the pappardelle in the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the package’s instructions.
- Meanwhile for the extra (optional) mushrooms, heat a 10” skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom. Once hot, add the oyster mushrooms. Saute until golden brown, about 6 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Season well with salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and add the butter and lemon juice.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, along with the lemon juice. Stir for a minute or so to coat every strand of pasta. Plate the pasta with the extra (optional) mushrooms and plenty of sauce spooned over top.
