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Pumpkin Mushroom Ragu

This pumpkin mushroom ragu is perfect for fall. It's hearty, creamy, and full of earthy flavors.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 lb spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 lb mushrooms, roughly chopped (earthy mushrooms like porcini, chanterelle, oyster, cremini)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or mushroom broth*
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 15- oz can pumpkin
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • parmesan rind (optional)
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb pappardelle pasta
  • 2 cups reserved pasta water
  • parmagianno reggiano, for serving

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan or large heavy bottom pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil at medium high heat. Saute spinach for about 4 minutes, or until the spinach starts to caramelize and brown slightly. Sprinkle kosher salt on spinach about halfway through cooking. Remove and set aside.
  • Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Saute mushrooms until moisture is released and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. About 2 minutes into cooking, sprinkle some kosher salt to help release moisture. If the mushrooms are looking too dry add a little more olive oil. Add freshly ground black pepper a few minutes before finished cooking. Remove and set aside with spinach.
  • Turn heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the butter. Cook onions for 5 minutes, sprinkling kosher salt halfway through. Add carrots. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, lowering heat if the onions are starting to burn. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
  • Turn the heat back up to medium if you turned it down. Add the white wine. Using a wooden spoon, immediately begin scraping up any browned bits stuck at the bottom of the pan. Continue to let the wine simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Add the broth, heavy cream, pumpkin, nutmeg, thyme, parsley, parmesan rind. Add in the spinach and mushrooms. Add about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper (or more). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Uncover and simmer sauce for another 30 minutes. Re-cover at any point during the 30 minutes if sauce has reached desired consistency*. If the sauce ends up being too creamy and thick, add more broth. If you prefer more creaminess, add more heavy cream. If the sauce is too thin, continue simmering.
  • About 15 minutes before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente*. Before draining, reserve about 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with sauce. Add some pasta water if the sauce needs thinning out. You most likely won’t need to use up all the pasta water. Garnish with parsley and serve with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Notes

Mushroom broth: If using dehydrated mushrooms, reserve some of the dehydration liquid and use that in place of half the stock. You can replace all of the stock with the mushroom soaking liquid, but it may taste a little too earthy.
Simmering uncovered: I needed to simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes before recovering the lid. I like simmering until I can scrape a wood spoon against the bottom of the pot and the sauce won't fill in the space. The simmering time will vary depending on the shape of your pot. If you use a saucepan like me, your sauce will thicken more quickly than if you make it in a pot because there is more surface area for moisture to evaporate.
Pasta cooking time: To cook until just al dente, follow package instructions. If the package offers a range of time to cook, opt for the lower range.