Skip to content

One-pot mushroom and leek pasta

Recipe picture

  • Serves: 4
  • Time: 30 min
  • Date added: 2024-05-21

Description

This deeply satisfying pasta, brimming with rich umami, is made in just one pot, an approach that bolsters its flavors. Once the leek and mushrooms are caramelized and sticking to the pot, they’re deglazed to lift all the extra depth from the bottom of the pan. (Use any liquid for deglazing, whether water, wine, stock, vinegar or tomato juice.) This recipe leaves the choice of mushrooms up to you: Cremini and shiitake are a good combination, but you could even use rehydrated porcinis. If you are craving greens to cut through the richness, stir a few handfuls of baby spinach into the pasta just before you turn off the heat.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 leek, white part only, finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • .25 cup white wine

  • 3 cups mixed mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake or oyster, torn or sliced (about 6 ounces) (NOTE: more mushrooms is better)

  • handful of dried porcini and oyster mushrooms, soaked in hot water (soaking water retained)
  • 1 pound short pasta, such as orecchiette, cavatappi, gemelli or penne
  • 4 cups vegetable stock (mushroom soaking water, plus extra stock)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • .5 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
  • 1 to 1.5 Tbsp white miso
  • .5 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (NOTE: used about .75 tsp aleppo and .75 tsp gochugaru)

Directions

  1. Heat a wide, deep 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. When hot, add the olive oil and leeks, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and lightly golden, 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, then stir and cook, undisturbed, until the mushrooms start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, another 2 to 3 minutes. (This allows the water from the mushrooms to evaporate, encouraging caramelization.) Add the wine to deglaze the pan and stir to combine.
  3. Add the pasta and stock; stir well. Cover with lid and cook on medium-low heat. Begin tasting pasta 10 minutes after you add it. (All pasta shapes and brands will have different cooking times. You want the pasta to be just tender.)
  4. Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter and parsley. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon and stir until butter is melted and dispersed. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix together the ricotta, miso, and red-pepper flakes, and stir into the pasta. Serve.

Source

NYTimes

Comments

  • 2024-05-21: made lots of changes, following comments. Updated recipe to reflect them. I had left the pot partially uncovered in order to allow liquid to escape, but that was not correct (some pasta cooked unevenly)