Mushroom Pasta Bake
There is nothing like a warm cheesy pasta bake to sooth the soul. After one bite of this dish I couldn't stop. It was perfectly crispy on top with little patches of melted cheese and caramelized onions. Even my dad went back for seconds and thirds!! This was a very simple recipe to make and if you chop everything before hand like the mushrooms, onions, parsley, it goes by a lot faster. This is a great dish for dinner and even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy it! So if you have some time on your hands and want to cook your friends or family dinner, pull out this recipe and they will be amazed at the taste.
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
What You Need:
1/2 pound (8 ounces or 225 grams) pasta of you choice, such as a ziti or twisty shape*
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
3/4 pounds (340 grams) fresh mushroom, sliced (I used pre-sliced cremini, my new favorite thing)
1 small-to-medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry marsala wine (see notes at end for more information)
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom)
1/2 cup (50 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese
4 ounces (115 grams) 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 ovensafe dish, add cooked pasta and stir until combined. (If you’re not cooking in an ovensafe 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. Reheat as needed.
Tips:
*I used a little more than 1/2 box just because I love pasta so much. At first I thought that 1/2 wasn't enough, but after with mushrooms and everything in the it was pretty hearty dish.
Recipe from: Smitten Kitchen
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/01/mushroom-marsala-pasta-bake/
