In this simple yet sophisticated dish, a bed of creamy orzo pasta is topped with a medley of meaty mushrooms in a rich marsala sauce, flavored with shallot and fresh thyme.
Use whatever mushrooms you like. If you want to keep it simple and use just one kind, choose cremini for their meaty texture. But the finished dish will be much more exciting if you use a variety.
Well-stocked grocery stores often have interesting options. Whole Foods used to have open bins with all kinds of mushrooms – nowadays things are wrapped for safety, but I was able to find a packaged mix called the “Chef’s Mix” that contained shiitake, trumpet, maitake and beech (shown left to right above along with the cremini at left center). One 8-ounce box of that mix was just enough to complement half a pound of cremini for great flavor and texture.
The orzo, with its simple sauce of butter, cream and Parmesan cheese, is a versatile base, one that I make often to serve with many different dishes. In summer I top it with grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers. It’s great as an accompaniment to Chicken Marsala or Pinot-Braised Short Ribs or anything that has a syrupy, wine-based sauce.
I like to keep the pasta and mushrooms separate as two distinct layers. It’s all about the contrasts, the orzo with its luxurious, creamy sauce, and then the juicy, chewy mushrooms coated with their own intensely-concentrated, woody-herbed, winey glaze.
Making this dish ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Creamy Orzo with Marsala Mushrooms is quick to put together and best served when freshly made. But if you need to get a head start, the mushrooms can be made up to several hours ahead. Leave them in the skillet, covered, at room temperature if you’re holding them for an hour or less; otherwise transfer them to a container and chill them. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat. Add a small splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce just enough so it can cook back down again as the mushrooms reheat and return to its original consistency.
- Store leftover orzo and mushrooms separately, and reheat them separately. Reheat the mushrooms as described above; reheat the pasta in the microwave, adding a splash of warm water to loosen the sauce if needed. Once both elements of the dish are warm and at the right consistency, spoon the orzo out first and then top with the mushrooms and a sprinkle of parsley to garnish.
- Leftover orzo will keep for 5 days. Leftover mushrooms will keep for 3 days.
Creamy Orzo with Marsala Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup minced shallot (1 large shallot)
- 1 pound assorted mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake, oyster, trumpet, enoki or other wild culinary mushrooms), wiped clean, stemmed and sliced or halved if needed depending on their size and shape
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or rosemary
- 12 ounces orzo pasta
- ¾ cup dry Marsala
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Directions
- Step 1 Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have softened and given off their liquid, and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add the minced thyme and cook 1 minute longer.
- Step 2 Add the Marsala and chicken broth and raise the heat to medium-high to bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat back down to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until the broth is reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 3 Meanwhile, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and the orzo, and cook for the shortest time in the range on the package (usually 5 minutes). Before draining the pasta, spoon off and reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Step 4 Return the pasta pot to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, add the cream, the drained orzo, and a small splash of the pasta water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until the orzo is al dente and the sauce is thick and creamy. If it looks too dry or sticky, add a little more of the pasta water.
- Step 5 Remove the pot from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese, stirring quickly to melt the cheese into the sauce. Grate a pinch of nutmeg over the pasta and stir it in. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 6 When the mushroom sauce is reduced to a thick glaze, reduce the heat to low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir until the butter is melted and the sauce is glossy. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Step 7 Spoon the pasta into a large serving bowl or 4 individual pasta bowls. Mound the mushroom mixture over the pasta and sprinkle the parsley on top.
