Mushroom and Cottage Cheese Pasta

Name: Mushroom and Cottage Cheese Pasta
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and roughly chopped (about 6 cups); 1 yellow or red onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups); Kosher salt and black pepper; 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1 pound short pasta, such as rigatoni, penne or cavatappi; 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese, plus more for serving; 1/2 lemon; 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (or to taste); Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published Nov. 28, 2022

Mushroom and Cottage Cheese Pasta — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(1,042)
Comments: Read comments

This low-effort, intensely flavored pasta dish highlights the earthiness of mushrooms. First, the mushrooms are cooked to release moisture and to concentrate their flavor, then they are puréed into a velvety sauce. Cremini mushrooms are an excellent choice because they are accessible and have a bold mushroom taste, but other varieties also work. For even more mushroom flavor, add a few shiitake mushrooms or a small handful of rehydrated dried porcinis. Cottage cheese is perhaps the most underappreciated of the supermarket fresh cheeses. The curds melt through this pasta to add a feathery light, mildly sweet creaminess.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and roughly chopped (about 6 cups)
1yellow or red onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
Kosher salt and black pepper
6garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1pound short pasta, such as rigatoni, penne or cavatappi
1cup full-fat cottage cheese, plus more for serving
½lemon
1teaspoon red-pepper flakes (or to taste)
Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Drizzle with the olive oil and add the mushrooms, onion, 1 teaspoon salt and a big pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released some of their liquid, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for another 7 to 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are completely soft, and golden in parts, and the liquid has cooked away. Turn off the heat.
Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 3 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the cooked pasta. Return the pasta to the pot.
Step 3
Transfer the mushroom mixture to a blender or food processor and add 2 cups of the pasta cooking water. (Keep the rest, in case you need more to loosen the sauce.) Blend until silky. Taste, and add a touch more salt and pepper, if needed.
Step 4
Pour the mushroom sauce onto the pasta, add the cottage cheese and toss to coat the pasta.
Step 5
To serve, squeeze over some lemon juice; top with red-pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Finish with an additional dollop of cottage cheese, if you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,042 user ratings

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Comments

KM2 years ago

When I was a child, my mother often made whole-wheat spaghetti with cottage cheese and spinach. It was delightful, and there’s a satisfying lightness that cottage cheese adds. I often use it now, in place of other richer cheeses, in lasagnas and dips. I think the nuttiness of a whole grain pasta would be a delicious complement to the umami of the mushrooms in this dish!

momonjava2 years ago

I have to agree with other comments about the color of this sauce, but this is not a deal breaker because it's similar to cream of mushroom soup. The first time I made this I followed the recipe but didn't love the cottage cheese curds. This time, I blended the cottage cheese in with the mushrooms and the sauce was Silky with a capital S. I also added a little dried marjoram (love this herb with mushrooms) and balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice. It was much improved IMHO.

Coco2 years ago

I agree with others on here that the dish came out a really off-putting grey color. Pureeing the sauteed mushrooms with only pasta water didn't make a "velvety sauce", but a chunky grey looking gruel. I would consider looking into other mushroom sauce recipes and not use this one here. The addition of cottage cheese was interesting and worth trying again, but this isn't the recipe to do it. I recommend looking up different recipes, this one is a skip.

LC1 month ago

Add cottage cheese to food processor. To mushrooms mixture add: juice from one lemon, lots of garlic, dried marjoram, splash of soy sauce. Reserve some of mushroom mixture - do not process. Add pasta water sparingly.

MH1 month ago

Did not blend the mushrooms because why would I? But otherwise a perfectly serviceable pasta for mushroom lovers.

battlehymn5 months ago

This dish was indeed very ugly, as the comments reflected. I decided to press on, and made these adjustments: added a TB of white miso, a tsp of ground nutmeg, and juice of a whole lemon. I also used way less pasta water - about 3/4 cup. I can’t imagine what the dish would have been like with 3 cups of pasta water. Also opted to throw the cottage cheese in the food processor along with the mushroom mixture. Flavor was good, but it really results in an ugly color.

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