Pappardelle pasta tossed in a light and creamy garlic and shallot white wine sauce, with sautéed wild mushroom and lump crab meat. This pasta is buttery and delicious and perfect for dinner on a cold winter's night.
Wild Mushroom and Crab Pappardelle Pasta
Have you ever spotted an ingredient in the grocery store that got you so excited to cook that you bought it without much of a plan at all? Recently I had one of those moments when I spotted Far West Fungi mixed wild mushrooms. Hedgehog and clamshell, yellow foot, chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms. I knew I had to make a pasta with these treasures!
With New Year's Eve on the horizon, I already had lump crab meat in the fridge in hopes of making hot crab dip, and before long, this wild mushroom and crab pappardelle was being made.
Ingredients for Wild Mushroom and Crab Pasta
- Pappardelle - With pasta dishes, it's all about the noodles you choose and I really like Pappardelle for this dish. This thick egg noodle pasta gives a unique texture and also soaks up the wine sauce so nicely.
- Wild Mushrooms - Any mixture of wild mushroom will do but I used a mix of hedgehog, clamshell, yellow foot, chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms.
- Lump Crab Meat - You can usually find good lump crab meat in your seafood department. Just make sure it is real lump crab and not artificial.
- Shallots - Minced shallot adds a mild onion flavor to the sautéd mushrooms and cream sauce.
- Garlic - Gotta have fresh garlic.
- Thyme - Fresh thyme leaves pulled off of the stem. I don't recommend substituting dried in this recipe.
- Olive Oil - For sautéing the mushrooms.
- Butter - This will begin the base of the sauce.
- Chardonnay - You can use any dry white wine but I like the combination of chardonnay with the wild mushrooms.
- Half & Half - Only half a cup is needed to make a light creamy sauce.
- Salt & Pepper - to season to taste.
How to Make Crab and Mushroom Pasta
- Begin by sautéing the mushrooms until golden.
- Add in the butter, shallots, garlic and thyme and sauté until the shallots are soft.
- Slowly add in wine and cream and bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta.
- Add lump crab to the sauce and gently toss cooked pasta and crab into cream and mushroom sauce.
- Serve in bowls topped with shredded parmesan immediately.
White Wine Sauce for Pasta
The sauce for this pasta comes together very fast right in the pan. After the mushrooms, shallots, garlic and thyme are all cooked down in the butter, remove the pan from the flame and slowly add in the white wine. Return to a low heat and bring to a simmer deglazing the pan and cooking off some of the alcohol. Slowly add in the half and half and stir in.
NOTE: Don't worry if the cream splits from the white wine at first and looks a bit curdled. It will come together once you simmer.
After the pasta is drained I toss it right into the pan of mushrooms, crab and that luscious creamy wine sauce. Just keep tossing with tongs until all of the noodles are coated. Return to heat and simmer for a another minute to allow the sauce to thicken up with the noodles and make sure everything is well combined. At this point your mouth will most definitely be watering.
How to Serve this Pasta
Serve this pasta with plenty of shredded parmesan for sprinkling on top as well as crusty bread. I like the take and bake ciabatta or baguettes because they come out hot and crisp from the oven and only take a short time to bake. Of course glasses of white wine also pair well with this pasta!
New Years Eve Dinner
This pasta makes a perfect New Year's Eve dinner if you are planning a cozy at-home celebration! Here are a few more dishes to serve on New Year's Eve:
- Sparkling French 75 Cocktails
- Pear, Prosciutto and Blue Cheese Puff Pastry Tarte
- Easy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Hot Blue Cheese Dip
- Garlic Herb Beef Roast
- Seafood Cioppino Recipe
- Old Fashioned Bourbon Balls
- Pinot Noir Chocolate Cake
New Year's Eve for us always looks like a night spent at home enjoying the comforts of good food and our little family. I'm definitely planning to make this pasta again for John and myself because it's the perfect celebratory meal for two.
If you make this pasta I'd love it if you would come back and leave a comment and a recipe review! And as always, I always appreciate it when you share the recipes you make on Instagram and tag me. Happy, happy New Year!
Wild Mushroom and Crab Pappardelle Pasta
Pappardelle pasta tossed in a light and creamy garlic and shallot white wine sauce, with sautéed wild mushroom and lump crab meat.
Ingredients
- 8.8 oz package Egg Pappardelle Pasta
- 8 oz mixed wild mushrooms (see notes)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ shallot, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ cup dry Chardonnay
- ½ cup half and half
- 6 oz lump Dungeness crab meat, drained
- shaved parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Leave pasta a little firmer than usual as you will finish cooking in the sauce. Drain.
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and begin to sauté. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until mushrooms are golden.
- Add butter, shallots, garlic and thyme to the mushrooms in the pan. Continue to sauté for about 3 minutes until the shallots are soft. Watch that the garlic doesn't brown and reduce heat if needed.
- Turn off the heat and slowly add in the white wine. Return to medium-low heat and cook stirring for one minute to cook off some of the alcohol. Add in the half and half and increase heat to bring mixture to a simmer. Note: don't worry if the mixture looks a little split. It will come together once you simmer.
- Add in the crab and cooked pappardelle noodles. Gently toss and cook simmering for another minute until the noodles are completely coated in the sauce and everything is combined. At this step you should taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. The crab will add a salty flavor so you may not need much seasoning after that is added.
- Serve immediately in bowls topped with shaved parmesan.
Notes
- I used De Cecco brand of Egg Pappardelle for this recipe.
- Far West Fungi wild mushroom mix is delicious for this dish but you can use any variety of wild mushrooms available in your grocery store. I used a mix of Hedgehog, Clamshell, Yellow Food, Chanterelle and Black Trumpet mushrooms. If the mushrooms are large you can roughly chop them although they will cook down significantly so keep them on the larger side if you chose to cut them up.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 680Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 23gCholesterol: 380mgSodium: 955mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 37g