Description
A rich and comforting porcini mushroom, tomato, and rosemary pasta that combines earthy mushrooms with fragrant rosemary and a spicy kick of chilli flakes, simmered slowly in a robust tomato sauce and served with al dente rigatoni and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Mushroom Soak
- 20g dried porcini mushrooms
- 200ml boiling water
Sauce & Pasta
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 400g rigatoni
- 30g parmesan, finely grated
Instructions
- Soak the mushrooms: Place dried porcini mushrooms in a jug and pour over 200ml boiling water. Set aside to soak for 20 minutes until softened. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, then roughly chop the mushrooms and set aside.
- Sauté the onion and aromatics: Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened and just starting to take on colour. Stir in the chopped rosemary leaves and chilli flakes, cooking for an additional 30 seconds to release their flavors.
- Add mushrooms and reduce liquid: Add the chopped porcini mushrooms and most of their soaking liquid to the pan, leaving behind 1-2 tablespoons to avoid grit. Bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid until mostly absorbed, concentrating the mushroom flavor.
- Simmer tomato sauce: Pour in the canned chopped tomatoes and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to very low and cook for 1 hour, stirring often to prevent the sauce from sticking or burning, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken.
- Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni following package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta well, reserving a mugful of the pasta cooking water.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Stir the drained pasta into the tomato and mushroom sauce, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce as needed. Mix thoroughly to coat the pasta evenly.
- Serve: Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper if desired, then serve hot with the finely grated parmesan scattered on top.
Notes
- Keep some of the mushroom soaking liquid but avoid the gritty sediment at the bottom for a cleaner sauce.
- Simmering the tomato sauce on low heat for an hour deepens the flavors and thickens the sauce.
- If the sauce becomes too thick when mixing with pasta, use reserved pasta water to loosen it for perfect consistency.
- For vegetarian option, use vegetarian parmesan or omit it.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: porcini mushroom pasta, tomato rosemary pasta, slow simmered tomato sauce, rigatoni recipe, vegetarian pasta, mushroom pasta sauce
