Mushroom Pasta

My mushroom pasta is a delicious bowl of comfort food to curl up with when a simple pasta dish with rich, robust flavors sounds enticing. Prepared with earthy mixed mushrooms, spicy Italian sausage, sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, plus garlic and white wine, this mushroom pasta recipe is love-in-a-bowl and wonderfully cozy!

Pasta Bursting with Cozy Ingredients

Whenever I imagine a steaming hot bowl of freshly prepared pasta, it always makes me feel super cozy and happy...

For so many of us, pasta is one our most beloved forms of comfort food, which can be prepared quite quickly and easily with a terrific array of various savory ingredients, making it an irresistible pick for a dinner that's extra comforting.

My mushroom pasta is sheer coziness through and through, combined with ingredients that are delectably earthy and colorful, and everything one craves in a rich, homemade bowl of pasta.

Tender and twisty campanelle ("bellflowers" in Italian) pasta is tossed together with mixed mushrooms of varying textures and flavor profiles, plus caramelized onions and spicy Italian sausage, juicy cherry tomatoes, vibrant Swiss chard, plus lots of garlic, olive oil, and even a kiss of white wine.

At once light and fresh yet deliciously hearty, this richly flavorful mushroom pasta recipe is brimming with mild spiciness and aromatic ingredients to create a little taste of heaven-in-a-bowl everyone will want to cozy up with!

My Mushroom Pasta Recipe with Spicy Sausage, Tomatoes and Swiss Chard

Rather than create a sauce for this mushroom pasta recipe, I thought I'd keep things chunky and textured for more of a robust and rustic dish.

It's all about caramelizing and sauteing off the ingredients to create flavor, then adding the warm, cooked pasta directly into the pan and tossing it together until well coated in the tasty ingredients.

There's layers of flavor in this mushroom pasta recipe, and that all begins with caramelizing the onions with the sausage, followed by the mushrooms, then the tomatoes and chard, and finally adding in those aromatics such as the garlic and wine.

This creates a dish that has the rich flavors of olive oil, garlic, fennel and wine in the background, with lots of wonderful texture from the tender mushrooms, sausage, tomatoes and chard for a deliciously toothsome bite.

Here's a sneak peek at my mushroom pasta recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I cook my pasta according to package directions, then drain and keep warm.
2. Next, I saute and caramelize my sliced onions, then add my spicy crumbled sausage to brown it all together, and then remove that mix from the pan.
3. At this point I add my sliced mushrooms to the pan and saute until golden-brown, then remove those and keep them with onions and sausage.
4. Next, in to the pan goes my cherry tomatoes and Swiss chard, along with my garlic, and I saute just until aromatic, then add in white wine and allow that to bubble up...
5. To finish, I add back into the pan the onions, sausage, mushrooms, as well as the cooked pasta, and gently toss everything together until well combined.
6. To serve, I garnish the mushroom pasta with basil and shaved parmesan on the side.

Recipe

Mushroom Pasta

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This mushroom pasta is bursting with rustic, savory flavor from the spicy sausage, garlic, tomatoes, Swiss chard and white wine!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian-American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 450 calories per serving

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 to 10 ounces campanelle pasta (or favorite dry/uncooked pasta)
• Olive oil
• 1 small white onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• ½ pound spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 ½ pounds mixed mushrooms, sliced (I use shiitake, tree oyster and baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup (slightly heaping) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3 cups (loosely packed) chopped Swiss chard (or spinach or kale)
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic (depending on preference), pressed through garlic press
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup white wine (pinot grigio is good)
• Squeeze lemon juice (roughly 1 to 2 teaspoons)
• Torn or julienned basil leaves, for garnish
• Shaved parmesan, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of the ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain, toss with a little olive oil, and keep warm.
3. While the pasta cooks, place a large, deep pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil. Add in the sliced onions, plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and caramelize those for about 10 minutes, until golden.
4. Add to the onions the crumbled Italian sausage plus the red pepper flakes (if using) and the fennel seeds, and stir to combine, further breaking up the sausage to a small crumble. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Spoon this sausage/onions mixture into a bowl and set aside for a few minutes.
5. Next, add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, and add in the sliced mushrooms. Saute those with a generous pinch of salt and pepper until golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Remove those from the pan as well, and add to the sausage/onion mixture.
6. Add another good drizzle of olive oil to the pan, then add in the halved cherry tomatoes and chard, along with the garlic and Italian seasoning, stirring things together until aromatic and the tomatoes/chard are slightly softened, for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, add in the white wine and allow it to bubble up and reduce for about 30 seconds.
7. Next, add back into the pan the sausage/onion/mushrooms, as well as the cooked pasta, and gently toss everything to coat. Add in the squeeze of lemon for a hint of brightness, drizzle in some additional olive oil for richness, and check to see if any additional salt and black pepper is needed, then gently toss once more to incorporate.
8. Serve immediately while hot, garnished with the torn or julienned basil leaves, plus some shaved parmesan on the side to sprinkle over top.

Tips & Tidbits for my Mushroom Pasta recipe:

• Spicy Italian sausage for flavor, or other options: The spicy sausage offers lots of flavor and a hint of spiciness to this pasta dish, which I love. But other delicious options are sweet Italian sausage, or beef, chicken or turkey smoked sausage.
• Vegetarian mushroom pasta: Turning this dish into a vegetarian option is super easy! Just omit the spicy Italian sausage, and add another ½ pound of sliced mushrooms to the recipe, or add in some vegetarian crumble for a “meaty” texture.
• Favorite variety of pasta: I'm using campanelle pasta here because I love the fun shape and how easily it combines with all of the delicious ingredients. But other terrific pasta varieties for this dish are penne, bow tie pasta, fusilli, or orecchiette pasta.
• Swiss chard for added greens, or other healthy greens: The mild flavor and health benefits of chard are fantastic, and when chopped, it wilts very quickly into the sauce. But feel free to use chopped kale or spinach if that's what you have on hand, or other more spicy greens.

Craving more mouthwatering pasta recipes? Check out these Italian “Drunken” Noodles, this Pasta Puttanesca, this Vegetable Pasta with Mozzarella, this Bistro Sausage Pasta, or this Orecchiette with Pork Ragu!