Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushrooms)

Two kinds of mushrooms, porcini and shiitake, enrich these tagliatelle ai funghi. Make them for a super easy dinner in less than 30 minutes. 

Pasta with mushroom is probably one god’s great gifts to humankind, food-wise speaking. If you can resist a bowl of creamy, super flavourful tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, I envy you.

The classic Italian recipe for tagliatelle ai funghi typically calls for porcini mushrooms, but you’ll also find varieties of tagliatelle ai funghi misti, which means pasta with mixed mushrooms.
So for this recipe I used a mix of porcini and shiitake mushrooms. Most of the flavour comes from the porcini mushrooms, but the shiitake add some extra texture to make this pasta even more delicious.

Besides its amazing taste, these tagliatelle ai funghi are also incredibly easy to make, so you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

What do you need to make tagliatelle ai funghi?

• Fresh tagliatelle – you can use the dry variety but I find the fresh kind better at absorbing the sauce
• Porcini mushrooms – I use the dry variety that requires to be soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes because it’s difficult to get your hands on real porcini mushrooms in the UK. 
• Shiitake mushrooms 
• Butter – just 20 g will do
• Mascarpone cheese – this is the ingredient that makes the tagliatelle so creamy. You can use the low-fat version if you want to cut down on calories.
• Double cream (heavy cream for readers across the pond) – only 50 ml (1/4 cup) is enough

And that’s it. These tagliatelle ai funghi only require six ingredients. You can choose to top them off with some chopped parsley or chives before serving, but they taste incredible on their own as well. 

Tips for making the best pasta with mushrooms 

• To save time, start by soaking the porcini mushrooms to give them time to be ready for when you need to use them. 
• Don’t forget to save some of the pasta water before draining the tagliatelle.
• Instead of tagliatelle, you can use other types of long pasta, such as fettuccine or pappardelle. Spaghetti would work in a pinch.

This is a vegetarian recipe, but if you want to make vegan tagliatelle ai funghi, you can substitute the butter, mascarpone and double cream with vegan alternatives.

I am not sure about other countries, but in the UK you can find vegan soft spreadable cheese at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Vegan butter is available at The Vegan Kind Supermarket and for double cream, you can use the Elmlea Plant Double Cream alternative.

If you liked this recipe, try my 30-Minute Spaghetti All’Amatriciana.

Yield: 4

Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushrooms)

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Two kinds of mushrooms, porcini and shiitake, enrich these tagliatelle ai funghi. Make them for a super easy dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 300 g tagliatelle pasta
• 20 g butter
• 40 g porcini mushrooms (dry)
• 200 g shiitake mushrooms
• 150 g mascarpone
• 50 ml double cream

Instructions

1. Add the porcini mushrooms to a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Leave aside.
2. Boil the pasta in salted water until it reaches an almost al dente stage. Reserve 1 cup of water (about 200 ml) before draining.
3. In a frying pan, melt the butter, and add the chopped shiitake mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they are tender and lightly browned.
4. In the meantime, drain the porcini mushrooms, chop them coarsely, and add to the pan. Cook for 1 more minute.
5. Add the double cream and continue to stir until it evaporates, about 2 minutes, taking care to scrape the bits on the bottom regularly.
6. Add the mascarpone and half of the pasta water. Cook until the sauce is creamy. Add more water if needed, but keep in mind the sauce should be creamy, not watery.
7. Add the drained pasta and toss it over moderate heat, until it's cooked through (about 2-3 minutes). Add more pasta water if needed.
8. Serve immediately.

Notes

Instead of tagliatelle, you can use other types of long pasta, such as fettuccine or pappardelle. Spaghetti would work in a pinch.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 409Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 208mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 9g

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.