Pasta alla boscaiola is one of the most delicious traditional autumn/fall sausage and mushroom pasta recipes ever! Originally made with fresh foraged mushrooms, particularly porcini, this Italian classic is just as delicious if you use dried porcini and other types of mushrooms.
What does boscaiola mean?
In Italian, the word ‘boscaiola’ means woodsman or woodcutter. The name comes from the fact that this recipe is traditionally based on the most popular foraged food to be found in the Italian woods, mushrooms.
In Italy, most alla boscaiola recipes include porcini mushrooms. Porcini are the king of foraged mushrooms here and given their divine, unique umami flavour, it’s not surprising!
Can you use other mushrooms?
Of course, if you don't have fresh porcini you can use other wild mushrooms such as chanterelles. You can also use cultivated mushrooms. I made this version of boscaiola pasta with portobello mushrooms and champignons.
In the past, I've used pioppini and cremini. However, pasta alla boscaiola without porcini isn’t really what it could be! So, for an authentic flavour add dried or frozen porcini too.
Where does alla boscaiola come from?
You can find boscaiola pasta made in many parts of Italy, particularly where mushroom hunting is popular. The orginal version is said to come from Tuscany and Emilia Romagna.
Different versions of pasta alla boscaiola.
Although 'red' boscaiola (with tomatoes) is probably the original way to make this recipe, there isn’t actually a single standard recipe for Italian pasta alla boscaiola. There are a number of variations including with or without tomatoes or with cream instead or cream as well.
Many people make this pasta dish with peas. And the meat can be sausage or pancetta or both.
Best sausages for boscaiola.
Italians make this woodman's pasta with fresh pork sausages they call 'salsiccia'. These sausages may differ in flavour depending on where in Italy they are made. In general, 'salsiccia' contain two thirds of lean pork meat and one third of fatty pork cuts.
They are seasoned with different herbs and spices but most include garlic, black pepper, maybe some wine and herbs such as thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary or fennel seeds.
Italian style pork sausages are widely available in the USA or UK. However, if you can't find them, a plain pork sausage with the addition of rosemary or fennel seeds would work well.
Recipes with cream.
Many Italians love the version with cream and no tomatoes (bianca), but of course this will make the dish taste more delicate and less robust, especially when using only pancetta instead of sausage as well. The cream needs to be fresh and not long-life and it should be added at the end, when the sauce is ready.
What type of pasta goes well?
Italians make sausage and mushroom pasta alla boscaiola with differnt types of pasta and I think you can use your favourite. The most popular are usually fresh pasta ribbons such as tagliatelle or dried penne. This time I made my boscaiola with campanelle, also called gigli in Italy. You could also use torchio pasta.
The campanelle pasta I used comes from a Sicilian company, Pasta Minardo. They are in Modica, Ragusa, a part of Sicily we know well. Minardo pasta is made with Sicilian heritage grains, plus it’s bronze extruded and organic. Recommended if you come across it! (my opinion).
I think campanelle is among the prettiest looking pasta types! Each piece of this traditional Tuscan pasta looks like a cone with ruffled edges. In Italian, ‘campanelle’ means bell flowers or little bells. Italians also call this pasta‘riccioli’ meaning curls. However, the more common name for it in Italy is gigli, which is the Italian word for lilies. The lily is the emblem of Florence.
What is in this boscaiola sauce?
The sausage and mushroom boscaiola pasta recipe I followed is based on what many believe to be the original recipe but, in Italy, that can depend on which region you come from! Alla boscaiola is considered traditional in a number of regions including Campania, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.
I made it with frozen porcini (I wasn't able to find fresh ones) tomatoes, pancetta and sausage meat. I also added portobello and champignon mushrooms. If you’d like to add peas, they’d go well with it too.
Making this pasta alla boscaiola with sausage and mushrooms.
This is a very easy crowd-pleasing recipe. Of course, it's perfect in autumn when freshly picked mushrooms are available, but makeable all year round using dried or frozen porcini and other fresh mushrooms.
If you use dried porcini don't forget to soak them in some warm water for 20-30 minutes before making the sauce. Drain them well, but don't throw the water away! You can add it to the sauce for a more intense porcini flavour!
After preparing the ingredients, you just need to brown the pancetta and sausage meat. Then remove from your pan and sauté the onions and mushrooms. Add the dried or frozen mushrooms once the others have started to soften and brown.
Next, add back the meats and pour in the wine. Once the alcohol has evaporated, add in your tomatoes. You can use canned peeled tomatoes, passata (purée) or fresh peeled tomatoes. Season your boscaiola sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Finally when your sauce is almost ready, cook the pasta, drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix everything together and serve with fresh parsley and grated cheese if required.
What to do with leftovers.
If you have any boscaiola pasta leftovers (it's possible you won't), my favourite thing is to bake them in a hot oven topped with some scamorza or mozzarella or just grated Parmigiano. I promise you, it's outstandingly delicious. Alternatively just reheat in the microwave.
The sauce alone can be frozen. I don't like to freeze cooked pasta as I think it becomes mushy when reheated!
Let me know what you think.
I adore sausage meat in ragu and porcini are my all time favourite mushrooms. These two ingredients together make pasta alla boscaiola so very flavourful and hearty. This is a fabulous recipe full of warming earthy flavours that will have you and everyone around your table going back for seconds. So, make sure you make enough!
If you make this pasta alla boscaiola with sausage and mushrooms, I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. So, please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito!
More pork pasta recipes you may like
- Baked lasagna alla Valdostana
- Creamy pancetta pasta
- Creamy pork pasta
- Dischi volanti with prosciutto ragu
- Pork rib ragu pasta
- Pumpkin gnocchi with speck
- Sausage and cabbage pasta
Authentic pasta alla Boscaiola (with sausage and mushrooms)
Ingredients
- 12 oz campanelle pasta or tagliatelle, penne etc
- 1 lb mushrooms usually 40g (1.5oz) porcini, fresh or dried plus champignons, cremini, pioppini etc
- 3.5 oz pancetta cut into small cubes
- 12 oz Italian pork sausage (salsiccia) meat removed from casing and chopped
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- ½ glass white wine (2.5floz)
- 14 oz tomato passata or canned peeled tomatoes or both.
- 1.5 oz Parmigiano cheese grated for serving
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
- Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan or skillet and add the pancetta. Cook until it starts to brown. Add the chopped sausage meat and brown it for a few minutes too
- Remove the meat from the skillet and add olive oil and chopped onion. When the onion has started to soften add the fresh mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms until they start to soften and then add the frozen or dried porcini. Mix together and cook for a minute or two more.
- Add back the meats and pour in the white wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomatoes/tomato passata. Season, mix and simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes. Add some fresh parsley.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet, drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce.
- Mix everything together in the pan.
- Serve immediately with more chopped parsley and extra grated Parmigiano as required.
Notes
Nutrition
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?
Hayley Dhanecha says
Inviting a friend for lunch and would like to prepare this pasta. How can I make this recipe vegetarian?
Jacqui says
Although it's possible to make this dish vegetarian, it would obviously taste different. I suggest you omit the pancetta and sausage. Perhaps replace the sausage with a vegetarian sausage. You will also have to substitute the Parmigiano cheese for a vegetarian parmesan as Italian Parmigiano contains animal rennet.
Lori says
I only have hot sausage and chorizo on hand here, could I use either of those for the Italian sausage?
Jacqui says
I have never made Boscaiola with a spicy sausage but I think it's definitely possible. Of course, the flavours will change.
Vincenzo L Tomassi says
In the Boscaiola sauce, you have pork sausage meat. What do you consider as pork sausage meat???
Jacqui says
Hi Vincenzo, thanks for your comment. I have added more info to the text and recipe instructions about the sausages to make it clearer. The best is the meat from Italian sausages (salsiccia). You would normally need to remove the meat from inside the sausage casing and chop it.
Albert Premier says
Salve Jaqueline,
I made this excelent recipe of pasta alla boscaiola today. There were no porcini available here in Amsterdam so I used chanterelles. I realise now that you meant dried or frozen porcini but I prefer fresh ones but they are always slightly later on the (farmers')market than in Italy
As for the truffles: yes I have eaten them both black & white, the Italian & the French ones with pasta, in risotto & other preparations. But the truffled dish I most like is the Tournedos Rossini, it's creation is contested between Escoffier & Carême but according to the Larousse de la Cuisine Française it was the composer's himself who hit on the idea.
Please keep up the good work on your excellent site & your most instructive & entertaining newsletters
Saluti cordiali,
A.
Hayley Dhanecha says
I can eat pasta everyday, my most comfort food. Pasta and mushrooms, a great combination.
Amy says
I love pasta, but don't prepare it often enough. This recipe with some of my favorite ingredients ~ sausage and mushrooms ~ was so yummy! I'll be making it again next week when we have guests for the week.
Mikayla says
Does it matter which kind of onion I use? I also like to use white pepper, would that change the flavor?
Jacqui says
Thanks for your question Mikayala. Although I think you can use any type of onion for this recipe, I would go for sweeter, less potent onions like yellow ones or red ones, both of which are sweet when cooked. You could also use shallots. I almost never use white pepper which is rare in Italian cuisine. So I can't tell you what difference it would make to the flavor of the dish.
Katie Crenshaw says
Oh wow! The flavor combinations in this pasta dish are incredible. It was hearty and filling also. It is the perfect meal for this cold weather we have been having.
Ann says
This pasta dish sounds delicious! I agree, a great fall season recipe! I plan on making this recipe this coming week.
Tristin says
My husband and daughter are huge mushroom lovers and we all really loved this pasta. Took your advice and added in the peas, too!
Adriana says
I enjoy your site so much because I always learn something new. I never knew about the meaning of boscaiola. Thank you!
John says
I plan to make this soon. How much exactly is 1/2 a glass of wine though? I’d like to measure it, either in metric, or imperial.
Jacqui says
Hi John, thanks for your comment. A normal wine serving is 5 floz (150 ml)so half would be about 2.5floz (125 ml), although in Italy, it is sometimes slightly less. I will add this to the recipe to make it clearer. Do let me know how your bosaciola turns out. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Tammy says
This looks delicious. I love how hearty and satisfying it yet without being heavy. Day old pasta is even better...warmed up with some cheese...fabulous idea!
Mikayla says
Such a pretty dish and the flavors were outstanding, very filling. We will have this again for sure.
Elaine says
I like the classic version but I would probably prefer to make it with peas, just like you mentioned. That would make this pasta extra special for me. Yum.
Gloria says
Add a glass of wine and call it dinner. Great for date night or dinner parties too. We love all kinds of pasta.
Jonathon says
I like to use the porcini soaking water to boil the pasta
Jacqui says
That sounds like a good idea Jonathon. Will have to try it.
Brian Jones says
Oh my this sounds delicious, I love porcini mushrooms although they are tough to find here even the dried type, although I always seem to manage to hunt them down. No matter the coast 😮 We do have access to a whole hst of wild shrooms though and our local market also has a shroom office where you can take your harvest and have them checked out... You know so you don't die #eek
admin says
Thanks so much Brian! I'm sure this recipe works well with other kinds of mushrooms, foraged or farmed. But of course porcini are what gives it its authentic taste! Can you not buy them online? I love the idea of the shroom office! I don't think we have that here! My hubby's pretty knowledgeable about wild mushrooms so we haven't poisoned ourselves yet!! All the best Jacqui
Nicole says
Beautiful ingredients! And I'm sure the aroma is just wonderful!
admin says
Thanks Nicole, yes this pasta dish smells and tastes wonderful, especially when you use porcini! I hope you'll try it out. Ciao from Italy! Jacqui
Amanda says
Looks like a lovely pasta dish! I would love to try with a meat alternative since I'm vegetarian 🙂 but I love mushrooms and pasta! Great job.
admin says
Hi Amanda, thanks for your comment. Of course this recipe can be made without the sausage or perhaps with a vegetarian sausage. Certainly the mushrooms are what really give it the most flavour! You should try to make a vegetarian version! Jacqui
Michelle says
Mushrooms and Italian sausage are a favorite combination of mine. I love the simplicity of this recipe. Great idea using dried porcini mushrooms and rehydrating them, as they are sometimes hard to find. Dried ones are much easier to find in specialty shops.
admin says
Grazie Michelle! I agree the combo of mushrooms and sausage is super yummy, especially if the mushrooms are porcini! Here in Italy, people also make this dish with dried porcini, especially out of mushroom picking season! I also like frozen porcini but I know those are hard to find outside of Italy! All the best from Verona! Jacqui