Creamy Wild Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta

If you’re craving the ultimate comfort food, this Creamy Wild Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta is exactly what you need! Wide ribbons of pappardelle are coated in a luxurious, glaze-like sauce that’s light yet bursting with deep, complex flavors, and studded with a wide variety of earthy wild mushrooms that are plentiful and cooked to perfection!

As a self-proclaimed pasta lover, pappardelle might just be at the top of my favorite pasta shape list. There is something about the mouthfeel and satiating quality of this beloved wide flat noodle!

As such, I am always looking for ways to enjoy it. And this very mushroom-studded recipe is one of my favorites.

And let me say, this isn’t your average ‘mushroom pasta’ with a few token mushrooms here and there. Nope. This is LOADED with a wide variety of wild mushrooms, full of umami goodness and cooked to perfection.

In this post, I’ll show you how to make this pasta: how to prep the ingredients, how to expertly cook the mushrooms, how to layer flavor, and how to handle the timing.

Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or an elegant meal to impress guests, this recipe is a must-try. Let’s get into it!

And if you’re looking for another way to enjoy wild mushrooms, consider this Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms or this decadent, creamy Mushroom and Potato Soup!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this ultra-creamy mushroom pappardelle pasta:

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make this mushroom pappardelle can be found at your local grocery store, farmer’s market, and Asian market. If you’re lucky enough to have a local mushroom purveyor, definitely take advantage of that.

Here are a few ingredient notes:

Pappardelle: Long, thin, and wide flat ribbons, made from an egg pasta dough, pappardelle might just be the most satisfying of all the pasta shapes in my opinion!  And it works so well with a sauce like this in the way that it glazes the noodles.  In the interest of time and weeknight cooking, this recipe calls for dried pappardelle (I used this one), but you can also use fresh if you have the time to make it or can find it. As for a substitute, tagliatelle or mafalde would be best, but you can also consider shorter but wider shapes, that would also hold the sauce, like campanelle, sfoglini, or radiatori. You could even consider gnocchi or ricotta-filled pasta.

Mushrooms: A mix of wild fresh mushrooms is front and center in this recipe – two whole pounds!  I used a mix of shiitake, oyster, maitake, and shimeji, but you can substitute cremini or baby bella mushrooms, fresh porcini mushrooms, blue trumpet mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, or any other wild mushrooms that you like.  Look for them at local mushroom growers, specialty grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and Asian markets.

Sherry vinegar: The unexpected ingredient in this dish, the sherry vinegar adds a nutty tanginess that cuts through the dish’s richness.  It’s not the same, but you can substitute dry white wine (not white wine vinegar – it’s too harsh) or just a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Chicken broth: Homemade chicken broth is always best, but store-bought will also work.  Both vegetable broth and mushroom broth would be great substitutes.

Heavy cream: Adding creaminess to this pasta dish, the cream helps to create a delicious sauce, without being heavy.  Half-n-half would be the best substitute, but you could also consider creme fraiche or sour cream diluted with broth.

Thyme: Fresh thyme is a natural and delicious pairing with mushrooms and adds a delicious layer of flavor in this recipe. I do not recommend using dried thyme. If you don’t have fresh thyme, a sprig of rosemary while the sauce is cooking or a few sage leaves would work as substitutes.

Let’s Make This Creamy Wild Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta Together: STEP BY STEP

Steps 1, 2 & 3: Prep

The first step is to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Second, finely dice the shallots by removing the stem end and cutting the shallot in half lengthwise. Then, make long cuts from the root end to the stem end and slice them crosswise.

Next, finely chop the garlic cloves and parsley, and pick the leaves from the sprigs of thyme.

Lastly, remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. For the oyster and maitake, just remove the bottoms of the stems, and then gently pull them apart into pieces that are roughly the same size as the shiitake slices. And for the shimeji, just trim the bottoms and then leave them whole, as they are quite small. (Remember, we want nice meaty pieces of mushroom, not thin slices without texture that get lost in the dish!)

Steps 4, 5 & 6: Cook

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for a few minutes and add the olive oil and butter. Give that a minute to heat up and then add the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms sit, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, allowing them to brown. Then, stir them around and repeat this process.

Steps 7, 8 & 9:

When the mushrooms are caramelized, add the shallots, garlic and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Next, add the broth to the mushrooms and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan and lower the heat to medium-high. Season with salt and pepper.

While the broth is simmering and reducing, add the pasta to the boiling water.

Steps 10, 11 & 12:

Let the broth reduce completely so that the pan is dry, as shown in the first photo below. Then, add the sherry vinegar and let it reduce completely as well.

When the pan is dry again, add the heavy cream and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir everything around, and again, season with salt and pepper.

Steps 13, 14 & 15:

With tongs, transfer the pasta from the cooking water straight into the pan of mushrooms. Add a ladle or two of pasta water and then toss everything to incorporate. Let it simmer, so that the sauce continues to reduce and becomes glossy on the noodles.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve this with a salad full of bitter greens and a mustardy vinaigrette to cut through the dish’s richness.
• Consider serving this like the Italians do, as a light appetizer course, before a meat and vegetable course.
• These delicious roasted Brussels sprouts would be perfect alongside this pasta.
• This Carrot Pumpkin Soup would be a fabulous starter before this pappardelle.
• A side of simple steamed green beans or roasted carrots.

Storage & Reheating

STORAGE: Store the pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

REHEATING: To reheat on the stovetop, place the pasta into a sauté pan with a splash of water or cream and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, you can also reheat the pasta in the microwave in 30 second intervals until everything is warmed through.

FREEZING: I would not recommend freezing this pasta, as the texture will be compromised once frozen, due to the dairy in the dish.

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