1lbpasta of your choice such as a ziti or twisty shape
2Tblsolive oil
1 1/2lbfresh mushrooms, sliced you can use pre-sliced to save time
1mediumyellow onion helved and sliced thin
salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
1/2cdry marsala wine
6Tblsunsalted butter
6Tblsall-purpose flour
3cstock or broth(chicken, vegetable or mushroom)
1cfinely grated Parmesan cheesedivided
8ozmozzarella or burratatorn into small cubes
1/4cchopped flat-leaf parsleydivided
Instructions
Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside. You may want to toss with a little olive oil to prevent clumping.
Heat oven: To 400 degrees.
Make the sauce: Reheat your empty pasta pot over high heat. Add oil and once it is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they’ve begun to brown and glisten, but have not yet released their liquid.
Reduce heat to medium-high, add onions, salt and pepper and saute together until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated.
Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until it has almost or fully evaporated (depending on your preference). Add butter, stir until melted. Add flour, and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed.
Add stock, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/mushroom mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all stock has been added. Let mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat.
Assemble and bake dish: If you’re cooking in an ovensafe dish, add cooked pasta and stir until combined. (If you’re not cooking in an ovensafe dish, transfer this mixture to a 9"x13" baking dish.) Stir in half the parmesan, all of the mozzarella and two tablespoons of the parsley until evenly mixed. Sprinkle the top with remaining parmesan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges of pasta are golden brown and irresistible. Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot. Reheat as needed.
Notes
The recipe above is doubled and it perfectly satiated my family of five. The original recipe was half of this and baked in an oven-safe skillet as opposed to a 9x13 casserole dish.