Baked Cheesy Pasta With Wild Mushrooms

Name: Baked Cheesy Pasta With Wild Mushrooms
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound mixed wild or cultivated mushrooms, such as oyster, maitake and shiitake; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus a few grinds; 2 fresh rosemary branches; 1/2 pound orecchiette, farfalle or other short pasta; 3/4 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup fresh ricotta; 5 ounces fontina cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups); 2 ounces Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup); 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage; 1 garlic clove, finely grated

By Melissa Clark

Updated April 13, 2023

Baked Cheesy Pasta With Wild Mushrooms — Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(1,394)
Comments: Read comments

A more sophisticated take on mac and cheese, this golden-topped casserole has roasted wild mushrooms for a deep, earthy character, and melted fontina for the gooey factor. You can use any kind of mushrooms here. If you can’t get wild ones (also called exotic, and most of them are actually farmed), use whatever is available. The key is to roast them until they are well browned and crisp at the edges so the flavor intensifies. Serve this as a vegetarian main course or as a rich side dish to roast chicken or meats. You can assemble the casserole the day before. Just add a few minutes onto the baking time if it’s cold from the fridge when you pop it into the oven.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

1pound mixed wild or cultivated mushrooms, such as oyster, maitake and shiitake
3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
½teaspoon black pepper, plus a few grinds
2fresh rosemary branches
½pound orecchiette, farfalle or other short pasta
¾cup heavy cream
½cup fresh ricotta
5ounces fontina cheese, grated (1¼ cups)
2ounces Parmesan, grated (½ cup)
1teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
1garlic clove, finely grated

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Preparation

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Step 1
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the mushrooms and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil, the salt, a few grinds of pepper and the rosemary. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and crisped around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Discard rosemary.
Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for at least a few minutes less than the package directs. (You want the pasta very al dente; it will finish softening in the sauce.) Drain well.
Step 3
Turn oven up to 500 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the cream, ricotta, fontina, Parmesan, sage, pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir in the pasta and mushrooms. Arrange in a shallow 2-quart gratin dish or 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly and browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,394 user ratings

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Comments

Jean7 years ago

Made this tonight, got genuine Italian fontina, shiitake, oyster, Bella, and some regular white mushrooms. Get more than 1 lb as you may want to discard some fibrous stems. Written recipe doesn't make clear to strip off the rosemary leaves to add to mushrooms, not roast with whole sprigs. But WHOA, hold the salt!! Way too much & not sure I can eat the rest. All of the cheeses are packed with sodium/salt. I am thinking no add

anne7 years ago

Just a note about Italian cheeses which from what I have read are basically the only cheeses in the world still made from fresh local milk...most countries are using dried milk which could come from anywhere, even countries far away...just make sure you buy Italian cheeses with the DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) stamp on them, that way you will know that your Parmigiano, for example, really does come the the protected zone of Parmigiano Reggiano.

KCL7 years ago

I did this recipe tonight with half and half, shitake/white/cremini, and a cheese blend of fontina/asiago/parmesan. Super tasty! But a half pound of pasta is more like 3-4 servings realistically, not 8.

marie1 month ago

Delicious. Added a top of sliced parboiled potatoes.

Margie2 months ago

Not as creamy as I had hoped. I put in more of all the cream/cheese ingredients and still it was not. Other family liked it a lot. Maybe if I had not had to let it sit before baking to wait for others to arrive, it would have been better.

MN - Philly3 months ago

Just made this and it was a big hit. After looking at the various comments, I doubled the recipe for our 8 guests (I like to have plenty + leftovers if it's good :-), added some reconstituted dried maitake mushrooms, along with about one cup of the broth. Subbed in lower fat milk and increased that amount, and used a mix of smoked gouda, cheddar and jarlsberg, which were the cheeses I had around. Drizzled olive oil on top before it baked. Delicious and everyone had seconds!

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