Rigatoni with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes are tasty, quick, and above all, easy to prepare both for lunch and dinner. It’s a simple vegetarian main dish, ideal for those who want to eat light without giving up flavor. This dish is made with very few ingredients and can be enriched and personalized according to your tastes and needs. It’s the perfect recipe for a “spaghettata” with friends, even if we’ll use rigatoni instead of spaghetti.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 9 oz rigatoni
- 1 lb mushrooms
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- to taste cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove red garlic
- to taste chopped parsley and chili pepper
- 1 tbsp dry white wine
Preparation
Let’s remove the damaged parts and soil from the mushrooms. You can use any type of mushrooms, or even multiple types together, to make this main dish even tastier.
Gently rinse them under running water and cut them into large pieces. I used pleurotus mushrooms, from which I also removed the tough end part of the stem.
Place them in a non-stick pan over low flame, cover, and let them lose part of their water. Repeat this process at least a couple of times, then transfer them to a plate.
Bring water to a boil for the pasta and, in the meantime, focus on the cherry tomatoes (about ten should suffice); if you can, use the so-called “piennolo tomatoes,” a real treat.
Wash them and cut into more or less large pieces, depending on your taste. Chop the parsley and chili pepper (if desired).
Sauté a clove of garlic in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over low heat in the same pan.
As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, remove it, add the mushrooms, increase the heat, and sauté them for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate, then salt, add the cherry tomatoes, cover, lower the heat, and let cook for about 6/7 minutes.
Drain the pasta (reserving a ladle of cooking water) and add it to the mushroom and cherry tomato sauce.
Add the chopped parsley (and chili pepper), stir, and let it sauté in the pan over high heat for 30 seconds, adding some cooking water if necessary.
Serve the rigatoni with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes immediately.
Bon appetit
