Mushrooms are one of our favorite ingredients as fall begins, and this simple pasta is a perfect way to make the most of them. Cardoncelli mushrooms, a specialty of Puglia, are particularly good here, paired with peppery arugula, toasted pine nuts and parmigiano.
The key is to cook the mushrooms over high heat without stirring too much, so they brown rather than steam. If you can’t find cardoncelli, any mushrooms will work, and you can swap the arugula for spinach, Swiss chard or parsley. Just don’t skip the toasted pine nuts. They really bring the dish together.
Mushroom and Pine Nut Pasta Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (700 g) mushrooms, sliced
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch arugula, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 pound (500 g) orecchiette
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms and let them cook without stirring. This helps them brown rather than release their liquid. If needed, give the pan a shake to move them around.
- Once the mushrooms are browned and tender, add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes until the garlic is cooked through.
- Turn off the heat, add the arugula and stir until just wilted.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette until al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- If the mushrooms have cooled, return them to the heat. Add the drained pasta and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, stirring everything together for another minute.
- Turn off the heat and add the parmigiano, stirring well and adding a little more pasta water as needed to bring everything together.
- Add the toasted pine nuts, give everything one final stir and serve immediately.
