White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leeks

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only), about 1 1 /2 cups
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 pound short pasta, such as penne, casarecce, or pipe rigate
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/3cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces), plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh juice (from 1 lemon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until all liquid has evaporated, about 12 minutes.
  2. Add butter, stirring until melted. Add leeks, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the salt; cook, stirring often, until leeks are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in pasta, water, stock, wine, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until about 3 minutes short of al dente (check cook time on package).
  4. Stir in cream and simmer until sauce evenly coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, herbs, lemon zest and juice, and pepper. Divide pasta evenly among shallow bowls and serve topped with cheese.

Notes

  • Any short pasta like penne, casarecce, or pipe rigate is a great choice here. Take note of the suggested cooking time on the package
  • Feel free to switch up the dish’s flavor by adding tarragon instead of dill, or swap the herbs out for a different blend entirely.
  • The cremini mushrooms can be substituted with another variety.
  • Cremini mushrooms are at the middle stage of maturity of white and portobello mushrooms, browner than the white mushroom, but not quite as mature as the large portobello. For this reason, you may also hear creminis referred to as “baby bellas,” or “baby portobellos.”

Source: Food and Wine – One-Pot White Wine Pasta with Mushrooms and Leek