Creamy Mushroom Pasta

We shamelessly licked our bowls clean with this one. Chewy, perfectly al dente pasta with seared mushrooms, a creamy white wine sauce, garlic, herbs, and pecorino. Instructions included for homemade bucatini with the Kitchenaid pasta attachment – their booklet includes a standard pasta recipe, but this is what I’ve tinkered with and like best (more egg yolks = richer pasta). If you’re not in the mood to roll out your own noods, the sauce is just as delicious with dried pasta. If you’re using dried pasta, use 6 oz of dried pasta of your choice (bucatini, spaghetti, or linguini would all work well).

Serves two.

Ingredients

For the pasta:

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk (as fresh as possible), lightly whisked
  • 1-2 tsp water
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

For the sauce:

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Fine sea salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino, plus more for serving
  • 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley, divided

Directions

  1. To make the pasta, sift the flour and salt into the stand mixer bowl. Attach the flat beater, turn to speed 2, and slowly add the eggs. Mix for 1 minute, stop the machine, and swap to the dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 2-3 minutes, adding the water as needed until the dough comes together into a ball and fully pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but isn’t wet or sticky. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Set up the bucatini pasta attachment and follow machine instructions, cutting and rolling the dough into walnut sized balls and feeding through the tube at speed 10. Let the pasta rest while you make the sauce, but if you don’t plan to use it immediately, store in an airtight container in the fridge (up to 1-2 days).
  3. To make the sauce, add the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Once the butter is fully melted, add the mushrooms and shallots in a single layer, along with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes, and cook undisturbed until the mushrooms are golden brown, approx 2-3 minutes. Toss the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes (trying to get a golden brown sear on both sides). Stir in the garlic, thyme, and rosemary during the last 30 seconds of cooking the mushrooms.
  4. Add the white wine to the pan (this will deglaze it and kick up all the delicious mushroom bits), scraping the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine reduces by half. Add the cream, vegetable broth, and a few turns of fresh black pepper while gently stirring. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to let the sauce reduce slightly. Reduce heat to low and stir in 1/4 cup pecorino cheese, stirring gently until cheese is fully melted. Gently fold in 1 tsp parsley and season with additional salt and pepper to taste (as needed). Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep warm.
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente (3 minutes for fresh bucatini, or to package instructions if you’re using dried pasta). Using a slotted spoon, add the pasta to the mushroom sauce and gently toss to incorporate for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and the pasta is coated. Add a small amount of pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
  6. Plate the pasta and top with additional grated pecorino, remaining 1 tsp fresh parsley, and fresh black pepper. Enjoy immediately.