Smitten in the Kitchen

For a few years now I've been making a pasta dish at least once every few months to satisfy my soul. Only one of my kids tolerates mushrooms, while the other two GLADLY dig them out of their bowls and scoop them over into our bowls. This is a meal that is only slightly labor intensive and as a single mother of three kids this means I seriously can only make it on a Sunday when my stomach is begging me to make something cheesy, mushroomy and heavy on the carbs. I've been known to make it during beach week when myself, my mom and my sister scrape together our favorite recipes and indulge all week long. If you DO NOT double the serving and you're only feeding 4-5 people, at least one of you will be sorely disappointed in the lack of leftovers. ((Editors note, I always always ALWAYS double so I can eat on it on nights the youngest trumps everyone and requests THE blue box macaroni and cheese.))

I cannot tell you how I stumbled across this recipe, as I most certainly wasn't searching the internet for vegetarian Marsala options, and I definitely wasn't searching for mushroom heavy meals. The fabulous Deb from Smitten Kitchen wrote this up five years ago, and I hope it brings a great big smile to your face if you make it for yourself (just save me a plate!) 

 

Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake

 

Prep time: 30 minutes, tops 

Cook time: 30 minutes, tops 

Servings: 4 really generous or 6 slightly more moderate ones. 

To serve a crowd: Double it in a 9×13-inch or lasagna pan  

 

• 1/2 pound pasta of you choice, I personally use penne
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 3/4 pounds fresh mushroom, sliced
• 1 small-to-medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 cups stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom) 
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 
• 4 ounces mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley  

Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside.  Heat oven: To 400 degrees.  Make the sauce: Reheat your empty pasta pot over high heat. Add oil and once it is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they’ve begun to brown and glisten, but have not yet released their liquid. Reduce heat to medium-high, add onions, salt and pepper and saute together until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until it has almost or fully evaporated (depending on your preference). Add butter, stir until melted. Add flour, and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed. Add stock, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/mushroom mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all stock has been added. Let mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat.  Assemble and bake dish: If you’re cooking in an oven safe dish, add cooked pasta and stir until combined. (If you’re not cooking in an oven safe dish, transfer this mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.) Stir in half the Parmesan, all of the mozzarella and two tablespoons of the parsley until evenly mixed. Sprinkle the top with remaining Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges of pasta are golden brown and irresistible. Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot.