Make this Meatless Monday treat ahead of time and cook the pasta fresh whenever you want to eat it for a delicious hearty Italian treat.
Rachael’s Mushroom Cacciatore is so rich, hearty, and flavorful that you will forget that it’s also meat-free. Follow these easy steps for an easy meal to make ahead of time or serve fresh.
Portobello mushrooms are often used to replace meat in many dishes, but pairing these big meaty mushrooms with the classically Italian porcini mushrooms makes a pairing that is flavorful without being over-powering. The nutty flavor of a porcini would be too strong if it were the only mushroom in this dish, and if you went with only portobello, there wouldn’t be nearly as much flavor for the amount of mushroom that is in the cacciatore. The mix of these two mushrooms along with the two different peppers really creates some complex complementary flavors.
Since porcinis are usually sold dried, they should be boiled on a simmer until the mushrooms are soft; if you don’t do this, you not only lose some of the flavor, but the texture will be borderline un-chewable. Similarly, we want to reinforce Rachael’s advice about not salting your portobellos when you brown them, let the mushrooms release their moisture at their own rate; otherwise they brown too quickly and the texture will be off. If there is one thing that can really ruin any mushroom dish, it is mushrooms that are not cooked properly!
While there may not be as much room for experimentation on this recipe itself, there are a number of ways you can play around with it to make it your own. Try different pastas to serve it over, maybe even try a few different cheeses to grate. If you want to save yourself a few calories (especially if you’re already going to the trouble of using whole wheat pasta) you can also cut out the butter from the pasta, we promise once you put the sauce on, you won’t know the difference.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make it Rachael’s way:
- A handful dried porcinis or a small pouch dried mushroom mix
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 portobello mushroom caps, gills scraped, sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 red chile pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 large peeled and very thinly sliced garlic cloves
- 2 Cubanelle peppers, seeded and very thinly sliced
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
- A few leaves basil, torn
- 1 pound penne or rigatoni or whole-wheat penne or rigatoni with lines
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Grated Pecorino Romano, for topping and passing at table
