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This absolutely decadent meal consists of rigatoni noodles tossed in a rich marsala cream sauce with caramelized onions, mushrooms and then finished with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese. It is warm and rich and the ultimate comfort food, and even includes vegan and dairy free substitution options! Not only is it delicious and easy to make, but it is a one pot meal, so truly, what's not to love?
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Ingredients
- Rigatoni- These fat little tube noodles hold so much of this amazing sauce, so they are perfect for this dish. But, feel free to use a different type of pasta if you'd like. Fettuccine noodles work well, as well as fusilli or penne. If you change the pasta noodle type, you will just cook the noodles separately and then add them to the sauce at the end. See the recipe notes for more info on this.
- Onion- One thinly sliced sweet or yellow onion.
- Mushrooms- 1 lb of crimini or white mushrooms work the best in this dish.
- Garlic- Four big fatty cloves smashed and minced give this dish good flavor. If you would like to substitute jarred minced garlic, use 1 tablespoon.
- Balsamic vinegar- This helps caramelize the onions and mushrooms and adds good acidity to cut the richness of this creamy dish.
- Marsala- Marsala gives this dish a mysterious underlying complicated sweetness. I would highly recommend using marsala wine if you can. You should be able to find it in your local liquor or wine shop. However, if you are having trouble finding it, there are a couple ways you can substitute. See the recipe notes for the specific options. These substitutions will change the flavor a but, but will still be delicious.
- Chicken Stock- Feel free to substitute veggie or mushrooom stock if you are trying to keep it vegetarian or vegan.
- Heavy Cream- this makes this sauce velvety and eyes rolled into the back of your head good! There is a vegan cream option in the recipe notes!
- Fresh Basil- This adds yet another layer of delish that is so good with this combination of flavors.
- Parmesan Cheese- I mean, we know why. But if you are keeping it vegan, simply use nutritional yeast instead!
- Butter- 2 Tablespoons of a good, fatty butter, like Kerrygold, or another European butter just finishes it all off on the happiest note. And hey! This isn't diet food, people! Just add the butter! You won't be sad that you did. ๐
How to make this Rigatoni dish
This dish is so much flavor bang for the work buck! Although it seems like a slightly large ingredient list, it really is not hard to put it all together.
Prep the cook the veggies
Start by slicing the onions into thin half moons. Then cut the mushrooms into quarters. Set these veggies aside.
In a dutch oven, (this one is my favorite!) add the olive oil and heat it on medium high heat. Once it has heated enough to cover the bottom of the pot, add the onions. Stir them occasionally for a couple of minutes until they are translucent and then add in the mushrooms.
Let the mushrooms and onions cook uncovered for a couple of minutes and then add in the balsamic vinegar. Let this mixture cook down for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the balsamic has evaporated and the mushrooms and onions are a deep brown.
Add the minced garlic and stir together for about 30 seconds until the garlic is deliciously fragrant.
Add the Liquids and Pasta
Next add in the Marsala wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that are stuck to the pan.
Add in the chicken stock and rigatoni noodles and stir until everything is combined. Turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer strongly with the lid on, but cracked a tiny bit for 14 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it, to make sure it doesn't boil over.
After 14 minutes, the rigatoni should be al dente and the liquid should have reduced by about half.
Now, remove the dutch oven from the heat and add in the heavy cream. Stir until it is fully incorporated.
Add the parmesan and butter and stir until they are both melted into the sauce.
Garnish and Finish
Fold the basil in and return the dutch oven to medium low heat. Warm it for 5-10 minutes until you are ready to serve.
Serve and garnish with extra parmesan, basil and a little black pepper. Enjoy!
Recipe Options
- To keep this recipe vegetarian, simply use vegetable or mushroom stock in place of the chicken stock.
- For a non-dairy or vegan option, replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast and replace the heavy cream by blending one cup of cashews and ยพ cup of water in a Vitamix or similar high powered blender. Add this in place of the heavy cream in this dish for an equally rich result!
- To make it a more substantial meal, fold in 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken after you add the cream.
- Feel free to use a different kind of pasta. However if you do, cook the pasta separately according to its specific directions and then add it into the sauce at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
This meal stores beautifully in either the fridge of the freezer. Store leftovers in a snap lock container or freezer zip lock bag. It will last in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 5 months!
Yes! Feel free to change it up. Larger varieties like portabello will add good substance, but smaller varieties like oyster, chantrelles or morels will add delicious flavor and texture.
If you can't find Marsala wine, there are a couple of options you can consider instead. Madeira is a Portuguese wine that will also work well. Otherwise you can use 1 cup of Brandy, 1 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
You definitely can! But if you do, cook the pasta separately and then toss it with the mushroom marsala sauce right before serving. The reason for this is that pastas that are not as hearty as rigatoni need less time to cook and could possibly turn to mush if you cook it too long as in this recipe.
More Decadent Pasta Recipes
- Short Rib Fettuccine- Another rich and creamy pasta dish that I promise you need in your life.
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese- This decadent mac and cheese sneaks some veggies in for a little extra fiber and nutrients and a little less guilt!
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Crispy Sage and Brown Butter- Everything you love about Fall in one delicious bite.
- Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad with Caesar Dressing- Caesar salad just goes so well with pasta dishes and this one is a unique and tasty spin on the classic.
- Simple Fresh Pasta Dough- If you are in an, "everything from scratch" season of life, this easy homemade pasta recipe will change your world!
- Frosted Brownies with Salted Tahini Buttercream- Something a little bit different and oh so good.
I hope you love this recipe for Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni! I would love to hear from you in the comments at the very bottom. Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*!
๐ Recipe
Rigatoni with Creamy Mushroom Marsala
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb crimini mushrooms, cut into quarters
- 1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons
- 4 garlic cloves smashed and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups marsala
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1ยฝ cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup fresh grated pamesan
- 10 basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in 5 qt dutch oven or similar sized heavy bottomed pot.
- Once the oil spreads to cover the bottom of the pot, add the onions and salt and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add mushrooms and let mushrooms and onions cook, uncovered for 2 minutes.
- Add balsamic vinegar and let it cook down for about 7 minutes until the balsamic has evaporated and the mushrooms and onions are a deep brown.
- Add the minced garlic and stir together for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the Marsala wine and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits that are stuck to the pan.
- Add the chicken stock and rigatoni and stir so that the noodles are covered. Turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer with the lid off for 14 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it to make sure that it doesn't boil over.After 14 minutes, the rigatoni should be al dente and the liquid should have reduced by about half.
- Now, remove the dutch oven from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Stir until it is fully incorporated.
- Add the parmesan and butter and stir until they are both melted into the sauce.
- Fold the basil in and return the dutch oven to medium low heat. Warm it for 5-10 minutes until you are ready to serve.
- Serve and garnish with extra parmesan, basil and a little black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Notes:
- To make this a more substantial dish, add 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken after you add the cream.
- To make it vegetarian, use Veggie or mushrooom Stock in place of the Chicken Stock.
- To make this a dairy free and vegan recipe, use nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan. Instead of the heavy cream, create a vegan, non-dairy option by blending 1 cup of cashews and ยพ cup water in a Vitamix or other high powered blender to create a rich cream substitute. Elminate the butter.
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This makes a great freezer meal! Just place leftovers in a sealed container and it may be frozen for up to 6 months. To reheat, thaw and then cover with foil and heat on 300ยฐF for 20 minutes. Add a little more parmesan and serve!
- If you don't have marsala wine, there are a few ways to substitute it.
- Madeira is a Portuguese wine that is the best substitute.
- You can use 1 cup Brandy, 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
- You can also use a blend of sherry and sweet vermouth, or sweet sherry.
- If you choose to use a noodle other than rigatoni, no problem! But cook your noodles separately and then add them to the sauce at the end. This way if you use a less sturdy noodle, it won't turn to mush before the sauce is done. No biggie! ๐
- Enjoy!!ย
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