When it’s chilly outside or you simply need a comfort for the soul, there’s only one answer: Pasta and Potatoes! But today we take it a step further and enrich it properly: we add fragrant mushrooms and that melty wonder of smoked provola… in short, we prepare a Pasta and Potatoes with Mushrooms and Provola to die for!
Forget about the tomato, because in Naples this recipe is often made without it, letting the taste of the melting potato and the creaminess of the sauce do their job. The secret? Slow cooking and the starch from the potatoes that create that amazing creamy texture.
When you smell the aroma filling your kitchen, you’ll know you’ve made the right choice. It’s a simple, humble dish, but it tastes like home and celebration.
Below I leave you other recipes of creamy and tasty first courses and then let’s go right under the photo to discover how to prepare Pasta and Potatoes with Mushrooms and Provola!
See you soon with the next recipe. Ana Amalia
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for Pasta and Potatoes with Mushrooms and Provola
- 11 oz mixed pasta (or short pasta, even ditalini)
- 10.5 oz porcini mushrooms (fresh or 2.8 oz dried)
- Half onion
- Half stalk celery
- Half carrot
- 4.2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 4.2 oz provola (cut into small cubes)
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper (ground)
- 3 potatoes (Large)
Steps
Finely chop the onion, celery, and carrot (or just the onion).
Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes (they should “fall apart” to create the creamy texture!).In a high-sided pot or saucepan, add a generous amount of EVO oil and sauté the vegetables over low heat.
Add the cubed potatoes to the sauté and let them flavor for 5 minutes, stirring.
Clean the mushrooms and slice them, add them to the pot, and let them cook until they release their water and start to brown slightly. Add salt and pepper.
Moisten everything with a few ladles of vegetable broth or hot water, just enough to cover.
Let it cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, as the water absorbs, the potatoes will start to fall apart, creating the famous creamy texture.Add the pasta at this point (yes, it cooks directly with the potatoes, that’s the secret!).
Add more hot broth, little by little, as needed. Keep stirring frequently.
The goal is for the pasta to cook and the released starch to bind everything.Cook until the pasta is al dente and the dish is creamy and “wavy,” not too dry.
Turn off the heat, add the provola cut into cubes and, if desired, a handful of grated parmesan or pecorino.
Stir vigorously to melt the provola and make it stringy, and to perfectly combine everything.
Let the pasta and potatoes rest covered for a couple of minutes: this “rest” is crucial to enhance the flavors and creaminess.
Plate the dish, sprinkling with fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Storage, Tips, and Variations for Pasta and Potatoes with Mushrooms and Provola
Pasta and potatoes with mushrooms and provola can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 day.
You can use the type of mushrooms you find at the time of preparing the recipe.
If you don’t have fresh mushrooms, you can use 2.8 oz of dried mushrooms, even mixed, soaking them in hot water for 20 minutes before cooking.
Choose the pasta shape you like best, always opting for short pasta.
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