Pasta with Spicy Mushroom and Pork Ragu
November 1, 2021 • Easy Entrees, Pasta & Pizza
Just look at those gorgeous mushrooms. While you may not be able to tell in the photo, the large cap was easily 8-10 inches across. I created this recipe specifically to use these oyster mushrooms from my farm CSA, but you can really use any mushroom here. And while this recipe creates the sausage portion from scratch starting with ground pork, you could simply use Italian sausage if that’s easier.
What you won’t want to skip is including the Parmigiano Reggiano rind when simmering the sauce – it gives the ragu a wonderful salty, cheesy flavor and is a perfect way to use what would otherwise be discarded.
Pasta with Spicy Mushroom and Pork Ragu
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Cooking with Michele
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I used basil oil which was great)
- 4 cups sliced or chopped raw mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly cracked
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 can San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed, with juices
- 2 Parmigiano Reggiano rinds
- 8 ounces pasta, cooked al dente
- Chopped parsley or basil, for garnish
- Grates Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for serving
- 8 ounces short pasta
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, season very lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté until they release their juices and reduce down. Spoon out of the pan and set aside.
- Add the ground pork to the same pan and begin breaking it apart with a spoon while it cooks. Keep breaking the meat apart and cooking until the pink is gone and the pork has released all of it's fat. Drain most of the fat from the pan and return it to the burner. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, fennel, parsley, salt, pepper and vinegar and stir together. Transfer the cooked meat to a saucepan and add the cooked mushrooms and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine, then nestle the cheese rinds into the sauce, cover, bring to a simmer, reduce, and cook for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the rinds and toss the ragu with the cooked pasta. Serve in large bowls and garnish with herbs and top with grated cheese.