Marsala cream sauce pasta is comfort food blend of a creamy marsala sauce with crispy fried mushrooms and peas. Enjoy the rich warm flavors of marsala wine!
3/4 box of thin spaghetti (or 2 cups of your favorite short pasta)
8oz package of cremini mushrooms
1 10oz package of frozen peas, cooked
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 and 1/2 cups half & half
1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine (if you use wine from the liquor store you’ll use less, like 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water (reserved if you need it)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook the peas.
2. In a small pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Slice the cremini mushrooms thin. Saute them for 13-15 minutes until crispy but not burned, keep an eye on them at the end. The mushrooms will shrink up as they cook. I alternated between medium and medium high heat to get the level of crispiness I wanted. Spoon onto a paper towel on a plate, sprinkle with salt, then set aside until the rest of the dish is cooked.
3. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Toss in your pasta and cook until desired texture. (I do 12 minutes.) Also, I fully admit I am terrible at measuring the right amount of pasta. I do 3/4 of a box and find this amount to be just right. Too much pasta and you won’t have enough sauce to coat it entirely. 4. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter. Using a zester, grate the garlic clove into the butter. Cook until the garlic gets lightly browned. Once the garlic has browned, add the flour and whisk to make a paste. Pour in the half & half and the Marsala wine and simmer until thickened. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I like my cream sauces peppery. Give the sauce a taste and adjust as needed.
4. Let the sauce simmer as the pasta finishes cooking. Occasionally as the sauce thickens, add some additional boiling pasta water if needed. Do not add more cream to thin out a sauce, use the reserved pasta water.
5. When the pasta and sauce have finished, add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Add in the peas and stir to combine. Top with the crispy fried mushrooms.
If you choose to buy the Marsala cooking wine in the grocery store use 1/2 cup in this recipe.
The Marsala wine from the liquor store is much stronger so would only need 1/4 cup. Give a taste, if you want a stronger Marsala you can add more, but do it a little at a time! A little of this goes a very long way.