Pasta alla Boscaiola

5 from 15 votes

Pasta alla boscaiola, or woodsman-style pasta, with crumbled sausage and earthy mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce that's tossed with pasta and fresh herbs.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

1 pound rigatoni or penne, paccheri, etc
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in hot water then squeezed out
1 medium onion diced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves chopped
5 cloves garlic sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
14 ounces crushed plum tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley minced
2 cups reserved pasta water will not need it all

Instructions

Pour hot water over the dried mushrooms to reconstitute them. Once reconstituted squeeze out the liquid and set them aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Brown the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is cooked through remove it to a plate tented with foil.
Turn the heat up a touch and add the remaining olive oil to the pan along with the mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms until they release their water and it evaporates (about 5 minutes). Once they release their water, toss in the reconstituted porcini mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes then season with a touch of salt.
Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft (about 4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and the rosemary and cook for 2 minutes longer or until golden.
At this time cook the pasta until 1 minute less than al dente.
Add the white wine and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the liquid reduces by about half. Return the sausage to the pan and add the tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
Once the sauce is simmering and the pasta is almost cooked add the cream and cook until it is lightly bubbling.
Add the pasta to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until it reaches a perfect al dente. Once it's al dente, remove the pan from the heat and add in the grated cheese and the parsley. If the sauce is too thick add some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper levels. Serve with more grated Parmigiano. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Makes 4 very large or 6 moderate-sized servings.
Dried mushrooms can be omitted, but often you can only find porcini mushrooms in dried form.
If the pasta dries out at all just add a touch of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up and mix well before serving.
Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop or the microwave.

Nutrition