Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni

On these crazy, cold, never ending frosty days of Winter, you need a pasta dish that is hearty yet healthy-ish. Meaning….not a lot of fat but plenty of robust flavor. The rich porcini mushrooms in this Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni with their soaking liquid reduced until it has reached maximum flavor, gives this pasta the heartiness that will stand up to a cold Winter night. You can make this Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni with heavy cream or, my favorite substitute, a mixture of cornstarch and fat-free half and half which mimics the smooth richness of the heavy cream without the fat or calories. It’s all up to you. If you have been working out a lot lately, enjoy the indulgence of the heavy cream. If you want to keep it light, by all means make it with the fat free half and half. You will not taste the difference.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword creamy, Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni, Mushroom, Rigatoni

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms preferably Cremini or Bella
4 cloves garlic minced
3 shallots minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
4 ounces prosciutto julienned
1 cup heavy cream with 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch whisked in or 1 cup of fat free half and half with 1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked in
1 pound rigatoni
4 ounces fresh spinach (optional)
3 ounces Parmesan grated
3 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
2 balls burrata at room temperature, cut in half (optional)

Instructions

In a 4-cup microwave safe glass bowl or cup, heat 2 cups of chicken stock for 3-4 minutes until boiling. Add the porcini mushrooms and set aside until they are cool. Strain the porcini through a very fine strainer and reserve the liquid. Roughly chop the porcini and set aside.
Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Over medium high heat, sauté garlic, shallots and sliced, fresh mushrooms just until mushrooms are tender. Add the porcini and their liquid. Turn heat to high, and keep stirring until almost all the liguid is gone. Stir in salt, nutmeg and prosciutto. Cook the rigatoni until it is al dente. Drain and place the pasta in a warm bowl, reserving 1/3 cup of pasta liquid. Warm the heavy cream or the fat-free half and half/cornstarch mixture in the microwave for one minute.
To the pot in which you have cooked the rigatoni, add the mushroom mixture and then add the rigatoni, pasta liquid and warm cream or half and half. Cook over medium low heat until the mushroom mixture is combined with the rigatoni and the cream is starting to thicken. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss. Add the spinich if you are using it and toss for one more minute. Remove pot from the heat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and parsley and toss for one more minute until everything is well mixed.
Spoon the mixture into warm bowls and pass additional Parmesan cheese. If you want to top each serving with a piece of burrata, just center it in the bowl. Serve immediately.