1largeshallot, fine dice(about ¾ cup diced shallot)
2teaspoonsfresh thyme leaves, minced
3clovesgarlic, minced
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1teaspoonsherry vinegar
1teaspoonTamari
1 ½tablespoonslight miso
1cupunsweetened non-dairy creamer(see notes)
¾lb(340 grams) short pasta of choice
½cupflat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
Instructions
Start the duxelles. Finely chop the mushrooms with a food processor in 3 batches. You want the pieces to be the size of small peas. You can also do this by hand with a chef’s knife if you like.
Heat a large skillet or braiser over medium heat. Once hot, pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add the shallots, thyme, and garlic, and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms all at once and season with pepper. Cook the mushrooms on medium high, stirring often, until they start to release liquid. Then, lower the heat to medium. Continue to cook and stir often until the mushrooms dry out a bit, darken, and become paste-like, about 18-20 minutes.
Once the duxelles is a bit more dry, add the sherry vinegar and Tamari. Cook until the liquid evaporates and then season with salt.
Place the miso in a small bowl and add a bit of your hottest tap water to it. Use a spoon or small whisk to “dissolve” the miso in the water. Add this mixture to the skillet with the duxelles. Then, add the non-dairy creamer and stir to combine. You should have a thick, lush sauce with bits of mushroom all throughout. Place a lid on top and keep warm.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir. Splash in reserved pasta cooking water as necessary to get a velvety and saucy texture. Stir in the chopped parsley. Check the pasta for seasoning and adjust if necessary (more vinegar, Tamari, salt, pepper etc)
This recipe is inspired by one that I saw in Cook’s Illustrated that utilizes the mushroom duxelles technique for pasta.
I used whole wheat mafalda corta by Garofalo as my pasta here. It’s my current favourite for short shapes. The little ruffles soak up the sauce beautifully.
I’ve been using Hikari Miso’s white miso lately and it’s great here.
My favourite unsweetened non-dairy creamers are by nutpods and Califia. You could also use a rich non-dairy milk in a pinch (like unsweetened cashew or soy).
A little bit of truffle oil stirred into the sauce at the end would be SO good.
Featuring 10 core ingredients, this creamy vegan pasta is a total umami bomb. Loaded with tons of cooked down cremini mushrooms, savoury miso and Tamari, shallots, and garlic. This lush vegan dinner is ready in under 1 hour.