Pasta with Morel Mushrooms – If you’re lucky enough to find wild morels, this delicate, creamy pasta will impress your guests. A rare spring treat that comes together while the pasta cooks.
I became hooked on mushroom foraging thanks to my friend and mentor, Alex. With her guidance I learned to identify and harvest wild mushrooms safely. Last fall we enjoyed a bounty of puffballs, and another time we made a wild mushroom risotto with honey mushrooms from our hunt. When Alex called last week—“The morels are ready”—I was out the door with boots and a pail before she had finished the sentence.
We spent several hours winding through the forest, often crouching under branches and peering beneath last year’s leaves. Morels favor moist, shaded hollows and are excellent at hiding. Spotting them becomes part luck, part patience.
Morels are a delight to behold: wrinkled caps perched on pale stems. They always make me smile. I like to imagine they have their own woodland gatherings when people aren’t around—dancing in dappled shade while the trees look on.
The walk through the trees on a cool spring evening was peaceful, filled with the scent of wet leaves and fresh growth.
After a few hours, a couple of twigs in my hair, and a small rip in my trousers, Alex and I had a modest but satisfying harvest.
At home I checked the mushrooms for any hitchhikers, trimmed long stems, rinsed them briefly in a colander, and spread them on a clean tea towel to dry for a few minutes.
These early morels (verpa bohemica, a type of false morel) are juicy and release a lot of liquid when cooked. I sautéed chopped shallots and a clove of garlic in butter, added the morels and their stems, then deglazed with a splash of dry marsala and added a few sprigs of thyme. As they cooked they released flavorful juices that became the base of the sauce. A touch of Worcestershire, salt and pepper rounded the flavors.
Meanwhile, cook a pot of pasta until al dente. Stir together a small amount of heavy cream with cornstarch and Parmesan, then add it to the simmering mushrooms to thicken the sauce. Toss a few spoonfuls over the hot pasta and you’ll taste a little bit of spring forest in every bite.
A plateful of spring comfort.
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Pasta with Morel Mushrooms in a Delicate Cream Sauce
Margaret Bose Johnson
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Ingredients
- 350 grams (12 oz) penne pasta gluten-free or regular
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped or 1 cup onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 cups (500 g) fresh morel mushroomsrinsed and dried, long stems halved
- 2 tablespoons dry marsala wine or sherry
- several sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce gluten-free if necessary
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- a drizzle of truffle oil (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the morels and stems, marsala, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you use other mushrooms that release less liquid, add up to 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth to create enough sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk the heavy cream, cornstarch and Parmesan together. Stir this into the bubbling mushrooms and cook for another minute until slightly thickened.
- Divide the pasta among plates and spoon the morel cream sauce over each serving. Drizzle with truffle oil if using.
- Serves 4 as a main course or 6 as an appetizer portion.
Notes
I used corn penne because its shape echoes morel stems, but any pasta shape works well.
If you don’t have morels, substitute other wild mushrooms or common button mushrooms torn into irregular pieces. Adjust liquid with broth if needed so the sauce coats the pasta.
The morel sauce can be made ahead without the cream and cheese; refrigerate and gently reheat, adding the cream mixture just before serving.
A small drizzle of truffle oil at the end intensifies the mushroom flavor, if desired.
Guten Appetit!
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