Super Sides: Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake

Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake - great as a side dish or main meal - what's not to like?!

This flexible side dish has a secret identity, as many superheroes do – in addition to being part of the Super Sides dream team, Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake also saves the day as a Meatless Main Course. But wait, there’s more. When the situation calls for protein, you can tuck a few chicken thighs or breasts into the mushroom mix to make a One-Pot Wonder.

If that ain’t super, then I don’t know what is.

The Occasion: There are few occasions where a cheesy pasta dish isn’t welcome. This recipe requires you to potschke with the sauce (pronounced potch-key, it means doing hands-on busywork) so a busy weeknight might not be best. Friday night supper with the family? Saturday night dinner party with your BFFs? The deliciousness of the dish is your reward for just a little potschke-ing.

The Playlist: Today we’ve got a trippy little number for you called Shrooms. It’s from San Holo, a Dutch DJ and record producer. Mellow out and enjoy, maaaan.

The Verdict: I predict this will become a fan favorite at your house too. It’s so rich and creamy even though there’s not a drop of milk or cream in it. Two kinds of cheese though, and that’ll do the trick. This makes a very special side dish and, with a green salad served alongside, it could easily serve as a meatless meal too. Without much trouble at all you could add large chunks of cooked chicken or turkey to this dish making a satisfying casserole. Any which way, you’ll find this magical mushroom dish to be right on, groovy, and far out!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

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Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake
Recipe source: Smitten Kitchen
 
Note: This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller portions. I doubled the batch so there would be plenty of leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ pound (8 ounces) pasta of your choice, such as a ziti or twisty shape
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• ¾ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup dry marsala wine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 4 ounces Mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

​A tip: If you use a large Dutch oven or similar covered heavy oven-safe pan, the entire dish can be made using just one pot.

DIRECTIONS:

• 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 sauté 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 oven-safe dish, add cooked pasta and stir until combined. (If you’re not cooking in an oven-safe 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.