Pasta alla Boscaiola
Pasta alla boscaiola, aka "Woodman's Pasta", is a classic Tuscan Italian sauce made with smoky bacon, earthy mushrooms, tomatoes and cream, creating the ultimate Italian comfort food!
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Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 28 ounce can peeled whole tomatoes and their juices, puréed in a blender or food processor
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound pasta noodles, pappardelle, fettuccine or tagliatelle
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup peas
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large sauté pan on the stove, cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate or bowl and set aside.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan with the bacon fat and return to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes
- Add the onion, garlic, and thyme to the pan and sauté for 5-6 minutes
- Add the puréed tomatoes and white wine.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Drain pasta, reserving about one cup of the pasta-cooking water.
- Add the cream to the pasta sauce along with the peas, drained pasta and cooked bacon.
- Bring to a simmer, adding reserved pasta-cooking water as needed to thin the sauce, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- I recommend adding no more than 1-2 tablespoons of cooking water at a time.
- After the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove the pasta and sauce from the heat and stir in the parsley and cheese.
- Serve additional parmesan cheese on the side for grating over the plated pasta.
Notes
- Fresh Mushrooms: I used one pound of baby bella mushrooms to make this dish. Porcini mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms or any fresh mushrooms you can find will all work in this recipe.
- Pasta: I recommend a thick, hearty pasta to go with this sauce, such as pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettuccine, but feel free to use the pasta of your preference.
- Bacon: Diced pancetta can be used in place of the bacon, if you'd like.
- Vegetarian: To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the bacon and use 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in place of the bacon fat to sauté the mushrooms, onions and garlic.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 692kcal (35%)Carbohydrates 69g (23%)Protein 21g (42%)Fat 36g (55%)Saturated Fat 16g (80%)Cholesterol 143mg (48%)Sodium 688mg (29%)Potassium 884mg (25%)Fiber 6g (24%)Sugar 8g (9%)Vitamin A 1130mg (23%)Vitamin C 25mg (30%)Calcium 135mg (14%)Iron 4mg (22%)
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