Pasta alla Boscaiola
Pasta alla Boscaiola is a hearty, comforting pasta dish made with sausage and mushrooms — ingredients that give it an earthy, rustic feel. “Boscaiola” roughly means “woodcutter’s style”. There are different versions depending on region and preference — some include cream (or ricotta), tomato, or pancetta. I kept mine straightforward with white wine, Parmigiano, and good Italian-style sausage.
I used white button mushrooms this time, but other types work just as well. If you can get wild mushrooms, even better. I also used a bit more sausage than the recipe calls for, since I made this as a post-workout dinner. I often make this pasta with some ricotta and less Parmigiano — both versions work well depending on what you’re in the mood for. Adding cream or ricotta makes it nice and creamy, but the flavors become a bit more mellow. Pasta alla Boscaiola is definitely worth trying.
Pasta alla Boscaiola
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium2
servings15
minutes15
minutesIngredients
200g pasta (rigatoni, penne or tagliatelle preferred)
100-150g italian style sausage
150g mushrooms, sliced (cremini, porcini, champignon, etc.)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
100ml dry white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
40-60g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Handful of italian parsley (flat leaf parsley), roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Bring a pot of water to boil, generously salted.
- Heat a skillet with half of the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the sausage, smashing it with a fork or spatula.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water.
- Once the sausage is cooked through and browned, add the sliced mushrooms and diced onion to the pan along with the remaining olive oil.
- Cook until the mushrooms have browned and released most of their moisture. Season with black pepper, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up the browned bits.
- Once most of the wine has evaporated, turn off the heat.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente, then drain, reserving some of the pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the pan along with the Parmigiano Reggiano and chopped parsley.
- Toss to combine, adding pasta water as needed to adjust the consistency. Season with salt if needed.
- Serve with extra Parmigiano and parsley on top.
