Pasta alla Boscaiola

Pasta alla Boscaiola

Pasta alla Boscaiola (“woodsman pasta”) features a rich blend of mushrooms and bacon tossed with pasta in a silky garlic-herb tomato cream sauce. It’s earthy, smoky, creamy and unbelievably delicious.

Ingredients:

6 slices thick cut bacon, diced

1 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

28 ounce can peeled whole tomatoes and their juices, puréed in a blender or food processor

¾ cup dry white wine

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 pound pasta noodles, pappardelle, fettuccine or tagliatelle

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup peas

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup cubed mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

In a Dutch oven or large sauté pan on the stove, cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned, about 5-7 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate or bowl and set aside.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with the bacon fat and return to medium-high heat.

Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, and thyme to the pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes.

Add the puréed tomatoes and white wine.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Drain pasta, reserving about one cup of the pasta-cooking water.

Add the cream to the pasta sauce along with the peas, drained pasta and cooked bacon.

Bring to a simmer, adding reserved pasta-cooking water as needed to thin the sauce, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

I recommend adding no more than 1-2 tablespoons of cooking water at a time.

After the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove the pasta and sauce from the heat and stir in the parsley and cheese. Add cubed mozzarella cheese on top of pasta. Enjoy!

Thank you for trying this recipe. Please let me know how you liked it. 

If you enjoyed this recipe, please take a look at other recipes on my fast, simple and good pasta page.

Pasta alla Boscaiola