Orecchiette with Mushroom Thyme Sauce Recipe
This comforting Orecchiette with Mushroom Thyme Sauce combines crispy bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and fresh thyme in a creamy Parmesan sauce, all tossed with tender orecchiette pasta for a rich and savory meal perfect for any night.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
Pasta
- 16 oz. orecchiette pasta
Dairy
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Produce
- 16 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
- 1½ tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp minced fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
Pantry
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: Using a large skillet, cook the bacon slices over medium heat until crispy. Once cooked, transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease, leaving about 2 teaspoons of bacon fat in the skillet for flavor.
- Cook Pasta: While the bacon cooks, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Sauté Mushrooms: Add the butter and sliced mushrooms to the skillet with the reserved bacon fat. Place over medium heat and sauté the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes without stirring, then flip the mushrooms over. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes without stirring to develop a rich flavor.
- Prepare Sauce Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and half-and-half until smooth to create a slurry. Add this mixture to the skillet along with the milk, crumbled cooked bacon, kosher salt, black pepper, minced thyme, and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir everything until well combined.
- Simmer Sauce: Reduce heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until it thickens to a creamy consistency.
- Toss Pasta: Add the cooked orecchiette to the skillet with the mushroom thyme sauce and toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated with the rich sauce.
Notes
- Leave a small amount of bacon fat in the pan to enhance the flavor of the mushrooms and sauce.
- For a vegetarian version, omit bacon and use vegetable broth with butter instead of bacon grease.
- Use fresh thyme if possible for a more vibrant flavor compared to dried thyme.
- Make sure not to overcook the pasta; al dente texture works best with this creamy sauce.
- This dish pairs well with a simple green salad or crusty bread to soak up any extra sauce.
Keywords: Orecchiette, Mushroom Sauce, Thyme, Bacon, Creamy Pasta, Italian Dinner
