Baked Cheesy Pasta Casserole With Wild Mushrooms

By MarielC

Ingredients

• 1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, such as oyster, maitake and shiitake
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus a few grinds
• 2 fresh rosemary branches
• 1/2 pound orecchiette, farfalle or other short pasta
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta
• 5 ounces fontina cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)
• 2 ounces Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

Details

Servings 8
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from cooking.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Trim the mushrooms and cut into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil, the salt, a few grinds of pepper and the rosemary. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and crisped around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for at least a few minutes less than the package directs. (You want the pasta very al dente; it will finish softening in the sauce.) Drain well.

Turn oven up to 500 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the cream, ricotta, fontina, Parmesan, sage, pepper, garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir in the pasta and mushrooms. Arrange in a shallow 2-quart gratin dish or 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly and browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.