Baked Pasta With Radicchio and Mushrooms Recipe
Baked Pasta With Radicchio Is Delicious on a Holiday Menu
When serving a large crowd on a special occasion, I recommend making at least one casserole-style dish that can be prepped in advance and baked while the party gets going. Lasagna and macaroni and cheese are great ideas, but if you want something a little more unexpected, make the Barefoot Contessa's Conchiglie al Forno, or baked pasta shells with mushrooms and radicchio. It's a rich, hearty, and wintry dish that's flavored with cream, four types of cheese, and fresh sage. If you don't normally use radicchio as an ingredient, this recipe is perfect for a first-time experimentation. The salty cheese and woodsy sage offset the bitterness of the purple chicory. Ready for the excellent recipe? Keep reading.
From Ina Garten
Ingredients
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups (2 medium heads) finely shredded radicchio
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup coarsely shredded fontina (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (3 ounces)
2 teaspoons ricotta
6 leaves fresh sage, chopped (see note)
1 pound imported conchiglie rigate (pasta shells)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve for another use. Slice the mushroom caps about 1/4-inch thick. Heat 6 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet; add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms, radicchio, cream, cheeses, sage, and remaining salt.
- Parboil the pasta shells for 4 minutes; drain and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- Divide the pasta mixture among 6 to 8 individual, shallow, ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cup capacity). Alternately, pour the entire mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Serves 8-10.
Note: In the absence of fresh sage, do not substitute dried. As a substitute, choose one of the following: 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh tarragon OR 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves OR 8 leaves fresh rosemary OR 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed.
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