Tagliatelle With Porcini Mushrooms

Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms (tagliatelle ai funghi porcini) is one of those pasta dishes that feels special but doesn’t take much effort. Wide ribbons of tagliatelle soak up a creamy porcini mushroom sauce made with garlic, olive oil, and just the right touch of richness. It’s earthy, comforting, and full of flavor.

You can have it on the table in under 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for a quick dinner or a cozy weekend meal. Use porcini if you can find them, or just mix whatever mushrooms you have. Either way, this is a simple Italian classic with a flavor that beats all others.

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The love story of tagliatelle and porcini

Tagliatelle is a type of long, flat pasta originating in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. The name “tagliatelle” comes from the Italian word “tagliare,” which means “to cut.”

There are several stories about the history of tagliatelle, but the most popular one is that it was created by a chef named Zefirano in the 15th century. According to the legend, Zefirano was a chef in the court of the Duke of Ferrara, and he wanted to create a special dish for the duke’s wedding.

Inspired by the beauty of the bride’s blonde hair, Zefirano created a pasta dish that resembled her hair. He rolled out the dough very thin, cut it into long, thin strips, and cooked it in a rich sauce made with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese.

Probably that’s when the famous King Porcini (Boletus edulis) entered the kitchen and fell in love with the Duchess Tagliatelle. A match made in food heaven.

Porcini are special. In Italy, they’re more than just food, they’re an iconic part of the culture. People take pride in cooking with them, and you’ll find them in everything from simple risottos to rich sauces.

For those who love foraging wild mushrooms, finding porcini is pure happiness. Spotting a little one peeking through the autumn leaves feels like uncovering a treasure.

If you enjoy porcini as much as we do, you might also like our pizza with porcini mushrooms or our creamy porcini mushroom rice. But today, it’s all about tagliatelle with porcini, a classic pasta that shows exactly why porcini and pasta were meant to be together.

Why you’ll love this porcini pasta dish

• Simple ingredients. Everything is budget friendly heree, just pasta, mushrooms, garlic, cream, and a little cheese. Affordable, easy to find, and always tasty.
• Quick to make. The whole dish is ready in under 30 minutes — ideal for busy weekdays or a last-minute dinner. Something completely different than pasta alla salmone.
• Flexible. Use fresh porcini when you have them, or mix common mushrooms like cremini, shiitake, or oyster. It works beautifully either way.
• Comforting and satisfying. Wide tagliatelle noodles hold the creamy sauce with porcini – nothing more comforting and flavorful than that!
• The perfec easy fall dinner. If you’ve picked the mushrooms yourself, this dish feels even more rewarding.

Aromatic ingredients fused in tagliatelle with porcini

TAGLIATELLE – Depending on your time, your dinner will always taste more delicious if you cook it with freshly made tagliatelle. We described the whole process of making homemade noodles in our green pasta recipe. However, use pasta with a high egg content if you can.

PORCINI MUSHROOMS – The porcini mushrooms we used in this recipe (including the little cutie in the photo above) were picked in autumn and frozen after being blanched. Fresh porcini work just the same, only you’ll want to fry them a minute or two longer until their water has cooked off. If you’re using dried porcini, soak them first and add a few extra tablespoons of the soaking liquid before stirring in the cream.

This pasta doesn’t depend only on porcini, though. You can make it with almost any kind of mushroom. Shiitake, chanterelles, morels, or even truffles will all give the pasta a different but equally delicious character.

AN ONION – One smaller onion will be enough to add some sweetness to the taste of the creamy sauce. Make sure that you dice the onion into pieces as small as possible and fry it slowly.

GARLIC – Three garlic cloves will add an appealing aroma to the sauce. Garlic contains glutamate, which is a natural source of umami flavor. Adding garlic to a dish can enhance its overall savory taste.

COOKING CREAM – Cooking cream will make tagliatelle a little creamier. The cream harmoniously fuses with the mushrooms. What we used in the recipe was actually half of the cooking cream and half of the sour cream. Thinking of adding a glass of white wine? Perfect!

OLIVE OIL – Extra virgin olive oil has a high smoke point, which means it can be used at high temperatures without breaking down and producing harmful compounds. It can help retain moisture in the food, making it more tender and flavorful.

SALT AND BLACK PEPPER – The rich, nutty taste of porcini mushrooms doesn’t call for any other needed spices to use when cooking tagliatelle ai funghi. A sprinkle of FRESH PARSLEY and/or PARMESAN CHEESE adds some freshness to the dish when serving tagliatelle.

Don’t forget, HALF-A GLASS OF WHITE WINE will truly enhance the depth of the creamy porcini.

Easy tagliatelle with porcini recipe

HEAT THE WATER AND PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS

STEP 1: Prepare a pot with water and cook it (covered) on high heat; it should boil before adding the tagliatelle.

STEP 2: If preparing tagliatelle with fresh mushrooms, clean them with a dry piece of cloth and remove the remains of soil, leaves and wood. Do not wash the mushrooms with water. Finally, cut the mushrooms into smaller slices.

Peel and cut or crush the garlic cloves. What we use is a small, cheap garlic crusher that really simplifies the process and makes things much easier.

COOK THE MUSHROOMS

STEP 3: Dice the onions into pieces as small as possible and heat the olive oil in a pan. Fry the onions slowly (on medium heat) until they show nice, deep yellow, translucent color.

STEP 4: Add the funghi and garlic to the pan and saute for a few minutes. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

STEP 5: When the water evaporates, and the mushrooms shrink, pour in the cream with a half cup of white wine or water. Cook on very low heat for another 5-7 minutes.

COOK TAGLIATELLE AND SERVE

STEP 6: Add the tagliatelle and a pinch of salt to the pot when the water starts boiling. Cook them half-covered for 5 minutes.

STEP 7: The best way to ensure the tagliatelle are cooked and not over-boiled is to try them. When done, strain them to remove the water.

STEP 7: Serve hot with creamy porcini mushrooms, sprinkled with fresh parsley or a teaspoon of parmesan cheese.

Tips for perfect tagliatelle with porcini

• The pasta will taste best when prepared with cold-pressed organic olive oil.
• The taste of tagliatelle ai funghi is much more delicious when tagliatelle are homemade and prepared fresh. If buying dry pasta, prefer the one with high content of eggs.
• Adding a tablespoon of white wine and half an amount of sour cream instead of cooking cream will make your tagliatelle taste even better.
• Use fresh porcini (or other species of mushrooms), preferably picked on the same day. When buying mushrooms, it’s best to buy them from a reputable seller to ensure the mushrooms are healthy and fresh.
• Do not store the porcini mushrooms in the refrigerator for more than a day. Porcinis can be dried or blanched and frozen to make delicious mushroom dishes all year round.
• Clean your funghi with a dry cloth; do not wash them with water. Porcinis are especially able to soak a large amount of water very quickly, which might change the cooking process and the taste and texture of the sauce.

Storage and reheating

Tagliatelle ai funghi are best served fresh, right after they are cooked.

When mushrooms are cooked and left at room temperature for an extended period, they can potentially develop harmful bacteria.

Tagliatelle can be stored in a refrigerator for a few hours, but don’t reheat the mushrooms. The proteins in the mushrooms break down very quickly when reheated, which might lead to stomach aches or even more serious problems.

That being said, it’s generally best to only cook the amount of mushrooms you plan to eat in one sitting to avoid the need for reheating. If you want to add mushrooms to a dish that you plan to reheat, it’s best to add them fresh and avoid warming them separately.

Tagliatelle with porcini FAQs

More wild mushroom recipes

• Pizza with porcini mushrooms
• Creamy rice with porcini
• Bulgur risotto with chanterelle mushrooms
• Chicken of the woods minestra soup
• Black trumpet risotto
• Black trumpet mushroom jam
• Safron milk cap tartlets
• Breaded saffron milk caps
• Saffron milk cap pate

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