Made with four different kinds of fresh mushrooms, this hearty Mushroom Ragout is loaded with fantastic flavor!
Incredible Mushroom Ragout
My husband Jack is a HUGE mushroom fan, and this hearty and delicious Mushroom Ragout is one of his all-time favorite meals!
He sautés a mix of Portobello, baby Bella (also called Cremini), white button, and Shiitake mushrooms in butter and olive oil along with pancetta, shallots, garlic, fresh rosemary and other seasonings, plus Romano cheese.
You can serve this as-is, but we like to serve our mushroom ragout over a pile of cooked fettucine pasta.
What is a Ragout?
A ragout (pronounced rag-oo) is a slow-cooked French stew that can be made with a variety of meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables – or in the case of our Mushroom Ragout, just vegetables.
It’s pronounced exactly the same as ragù – but that is an Italian minced meat and vegetable sauce such as a Bolognese.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fresh Mushrooms – This recipe uses around two and a half pounds of fresh mushrooms, and you can use just about any variety based on availability and your tastes. We used a combination of fresh Portobello, baby Bella/Cremini), white button, and Shiitake mushrooms.
- Pancetta – This is added for flavor, but if you prefer to make this a vegetarian dish instead, you can leave it out.
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Rosemary
- Unsalted Butter
- Olive Oil
- Tomato Paste – Just enough tomato paste is added to add a silky texture to the ragout, but it doesn’t impart a strong tomato flavor to the finished dish.
- Stock – You can use vegetable broth/stock or chicken stock in this recipe.
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley – for garnish
- Romano Cheese – Grated, for serving.
- Cooked Fettucine – Also for serving.
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- The best way to clean mushrooms before cooking is to use a soft brush or damp cloth to wipe away an dirt or debris. Do not soak or submerge in water – the mushrooms will immediately start to absorb the water, making them difficult to cook properly. If you must use water to clean your mushrooms, give them just a quick rinse and then use a cloth to wipe off any dirt. Then, dry them completely with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- To avoid mushy sauteed mushrooms, the mushrooms should be dry and your pan should be over a medium-high flame. This cooking temperature is hot enough that any trace moisture in the mushrooms will quickly evaporate, but it’s not so hot that they will burn.
- If you’d like to make this Mushroom Ragout for a completely meatless meal – feel free to leave out the pancetta. (The flavors will still be fantastic!)
This Mushroom Ragout recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in April 2017 as part of a sponsored post. The post has been updated, but the delicious recipe remains the same.
PrintMushroom Ragout
Made with four different kinds of fresh mushrooms, this hearty Mushroom Ragout is loaded with fantastic flavor!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: braise
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta diced small
3/4 cup shallots, cut into half slices
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Portobello caps, stems and ribs removed (see note below), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound baby Bella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms sliced, stems discarded
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, plus more for serving
1/4 cup Romano cheese grated, plus more for serving
1 pound fresh fettucine
Instructions
- In a very large skillet or sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat and add pancetta.
- Cook for ten minutes or until crisp.
- Add shallots and cook for three minutes.
- Add garlic and rosemary and cook for one minute.
- Add tomato paste and cook for two minutes.
- Add butter and all mushrooms and stir. Increase heat to medium high, cover and cook for five minutes.
- Remove cover and cook for five more minutes.
- Add stock, salt and pepper and cook uncovered over medium low heat for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and the mushrooms are tender.
- While mushrooms are cooking, prepare fettucine according to package directions.
- Drain pasta but save a cup of the pasta water.
- Add parsley and Romano to the mushrooms and add a little of the pasta water to make a creamy thick mixture. Add only enough water to get the right creamy constancy. We used about half a cup.
- Serve over cooked fettucine. Serve with additional parsley and Romano cheese, if desired.
Notes
Use a spoon to scrape ribs from underside of Portobello caps and discard along with stem. Then cut into bite sized pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this dish with canned mushrooms? No – canned mushrooms are already cooked. To achieve the perfect texture and flavor, you will only want to use fresh mushrooms in this recipe.
- Can I prepare the Mushroom Ragout ahead of time? Yes, you can.
- How do I store any leftovers? Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? You can reheat individual portions in the microwave (just avoid overheating) or reheat the ragout in a pan on the stove, gently stirring so the mushrooms reheat evenly without scorching.
- Can I freeze the leftovers? You can, but note that the texture of the mushrooms will be softer and maybe even mushy after thawing.
You might like these other Mushroom Recipes
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This looks like a true winner for my family…question though for the vegetarians in the group can I make another one without pancetta and what would you recommend to use if possible?
Hi Robyn – You can just leave the pancetta out. It adds some nice complementary flavor with the mushrooms, but the mushrooms alone will taste great too!