Upon walking the Napa Farmers Market in late May, the morel mushrooms at the Far West Fungi farmstand stopped me in my tracks and I knew I had to make this Pasta with Sauteed Morel Mushrooms and Peas Recipe.
Their delicate ridges and spongy like texture have always looked so intriguing to me and I knew they'd make for a perfect mushroom pasta recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. You'll love the way we craft a simple sauce for this easy mushroom pasta that's sure to become one of your new favorite mushroom recipes. Let's get cooking!
How to Clean Morel Mushrooms
Upon bringing the fresh mushrooms home, I stored them in a glass container lined with an unbleached paper towel and kept them in the fridge crisper drawer until I was ready to use them. Once ready, I removed the stems and sliced the whole mushrooms in half, lengthwise.
Next, I placed the mushrooms in a mesh colander fitted in a large mixing bowl and filled the bowl with enough water to begin dunking and rinsing the mushrooms to clean them of dirt and any residue. I did this about 5 times until I saw the water was relatively clear. I have found this to be the best way to clean the morels prior to cooking them.
I dumped out the excess water and proceeded to transfer mushrooms to a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to remove excess moisture. I topped the clean mushrooms with another layer of paper towels to lightly dry them off. This mini video is a great demonstration of how to clean morel mushrooms with ease.
Simple Ingredients for a Delicious Dish
Now that we've got our morel mushrooms prepped, it's time to gather our ingredients to make this super easy pasta recipe. Here's the low down on what we'll need to pull together to make this easy recipe:
- Morel Mushrooms
- Olive oil and unsalted butter
- Shallots
- Aleppo pepper flakes
- Garlic
- Low-sodium vegetable, mushroom, or chicken broth
- Shelled English Peas
- Grated Parmesan or TomaProvence
- Lemon Zest and Fresh Herbs like thyme, chives, and basil
Simple Swaps and Substitutions for This Recipe
When it comes to this easy pasta dish with mushrooms, there are a few areas where you can definitely swap or substitute:
- For your cooking mushrooms you can totally opt to use baby bellas, sliced portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or even a mix of white button mushrooms and cremini mushrooms. This recipe is perfect for the mushroom lover!
- For the cheese, you can use parmesan or even pecorino romano.
- For the aleppo pepper you can also substitute for crushed red pepper flakes.
- On the broth side, use what you have on hand. I have found that using beef broth or mushroom broth definitely imparts more flavor, but if you've only got vegetable broth on hand, this totally works!
How to Make this Sauteed Mushrooms and Peas Recipe with Pasta
Save or print the recipe card below for ease! In the meantime, here's how we make one of my absolute favorite pasta recipes for late spring and early summer evenings:
First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta shape of your choice and cook until al dente, about 7-9 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water to help finish the sauce, if needed. Transfer pasta to a mixing bowl and set to the side.
While pasta boils, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add the prepped morel mushrooms to the large skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms absorb the oil and become slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and peas followed by broth and Aleppo pepper. Simmer the mushrooms and peas until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring halfway through, about 5 minutes total. Finish with a couple tablespoons of butter to craft the mushroom sauce.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add the grated parmesan cheese and, if needed, the ¼ cup of the pasta water to help bring the sauce together. Finish with the chopped fresh herbs and lemon zest. Serves 4 generously for a main dish.
Pasta with Sauteed Morel Mushrooms and Peas
Equipment
- 1 3 quart sauce pan or large pot
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried pasta measure 2 ounce servings of dried pasta per person
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 8 ounces morel mushrooms ends trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or sub for crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ to ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable mushroom, or chicken broth
- ½ cup shelled English peas
- ½ cup grated TomaProvence or grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as thyme and chives and basil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7-9 minutes. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water to help finish the sauce, if needed.
- While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms absorb the oil and begin to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and peas followed by broth and Aleppo pepper. Simmer the mushrooms and peas until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring halfway through, about 5 minutes total.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add the cheese and, if needed, the pasta water to help bring the sauce together. Finish with fresh herbs and lemon zest. Serves 4 generously.
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