Pasta with Brie, Mushrooms and Arugula
Thankfully, I have a pile of fast and brainless recipes stashed away just for days like this. This pasta uses ingredients I always have on hand. Everything comes together in less than 20 minutes. You can substitute the arugula with spinach, the Brie with fontina, the penne with fusilli… You get the picture.
The best part of the dish is the creamy sauce, which is just melted Brie and some pasta water. The sauce clings to the ridges on the penne and coats every tube like a tight glove. The arugula undercuts the creaminess, giving the dish a sharp bite. The mushrooms add a meaty texture. They become plump and sweet once sauteed in white wine. Make sure you use a wine good enough to drink. Cooking concentrates the wine’s flavor. The only thing worse than bad wine is concentrated bad wine.
One day when you feel like cooking, this pasta makes an excellent side dish to some grilled chicken breasts. Pop open a bottle of Chardonnay and light up a few votive candles, it’s even good enough to entertain. Your guests will think you slaved in the kitchen all day. But they don’t have to know the truth. It can be our little secret.
Pasta with Brie, Mushrooms and Arugula
Adapted from Real Simple, November 2009
- Penne rigate, 12 ounces
- Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
- Button mushrooms, quartered, 1 pound
- Onion, diced, 1 small
- Dry white wine, 1/2 cup
- Brie, rind removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, 8 ounces
- Baby arugula, 4 cups
- Salt
- Pepper
Boil water and cook pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushooms and onion and cook until the mushrooms begin to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the wine is almost cook off and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 minutes.
Toss the hot pasta with the Brie and add as much of the reserved pasta water as needed until the cheese melts and forms a sauce. Stir in the mushroom mixture and arugula.
Serves 4.
Erica! I wish you could cook for me every day… this looks delicious!
Hi Erica!
This is a wonderful blog. Love the writing, the photography and the design. Congrats on a great beginning!
I can’t wait to try some of these recipes. Thanks for the inspiration.
best,
Diane
Erica —
I made this pasta dish recently and it was so good. It was a lovely comfort meal with the delicious sauce. I used Light Brie from Trader Joe’s and it was still very creamy and rich-tasting.
Diane
Hi Diane,
I am glad you liked the pasta! Thanks for visiting the blog and commenting!
I have just come across this blog and am in love. I am going to make this recipe as well as the chickpea sliders this weekend.