Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Roasted Mushrooms
- 250 g cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 200 g shiitake mushrooms, caps sliced 6mm thick, tough stems discarded
- 20 ml olive oil
- 3 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, coarsely ground
Crispy Pangrattato Topping
- 60 g sourdough breadcrumbs, coarse, dry crumbs
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 garlic, finely grated
- 2 g lemon zest, freshly grated
- 1 g fine sea salt
Pasta and Chard Sauce
- 350 g rigatoni, dry bronze-die pasta
- 300 g swiss chard, washed, stems finely diced, leaves cut into 3cm ribbons
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 3 garlic, thinly sliced
- 20 ml olive oil
- 1 g crushed red pepper flakes
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 120 ml low-sodium vegetable broth
- 40 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
- 50 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
- 2 g flaky sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 694 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 90 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1116 mg
- Potassium
- 1003 mg
- Calcium
- 255 mg
- Iron
- 4.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 136 mg
- Phosphorus
- 389 mg
- Zinc
- 2.7 mg
- Water
- 173 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the quartered cremini and sliced shiitake mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet, then toss with 20 ml olive oil, 3 g kosher salt, and 1 g coarse black pepper in a single uncrowded layer.
Roast the mushrooms at 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes until deeply browned with crisp, curled edges.
Heat 15 ml olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add 60 g sourdough breadcrumbs, and toast for 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
Stir the grated garlic, 2 g lemon zest, and 1 g fine sea salt into the hot breadcrumbs off the heat for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer the mixture to a small bowl to halt cooking.
Fill a large pot with 4 liters of water, add 20 g salt, and bring to a rolling boil at 100°C (212°F) over high heat.
Submerge 350 g rigatoni in the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes until firm to the bite, roughly 2 minutes shy of traditional al dente.
Scoop out 120 ml of the starchy pasta cooking water using a liquid measuring cup and reserve it, then drain the remaining rigatoni through a colander.
Wipe out the large skillet, heat 20 ml olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the diced Swiss chard stems and shallot for 4 minutes until translucent and tender.
Add the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour 60 ml dry white wine into the skillet, scraping up any fond stuck to the bottom with a wooden spoon, and simmer for 2 minutes until reduced by half.
Pour in 120 ml vegetable broth along with 60 ml of the reserved pasta cooking water and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Fold the sliced Swiss chard leaves into the skillet in handfuls using tongs, simmering for 2 minutes until fully wilted and dark green.
Add the drained rigatoni, roasted mushrooms, and 40 g cold cubed butter to the skillet, swirling and tossing vigorously over low heat for 2 minutes until the liquid emulsifies into a glossy glaze.
Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle in 50 g finely grated vegetarian hard cheese, and fold gently until melted and incorporated.
Divide the hot pasta among four shallow bowls using tongs, season with flaky sea salt to taste, and scatter the crispy sourdough pangrattato generously over each portion.
Chef's Notes
- High-heat roasting at 220°C (425°F) drives off internal fungal moisture rapidly, concentrating mushroom glutamate for intense savoriness without leaving them slimy.
- Swiss chard is best treated as two distinct ingredients: the dense fibrous stems require an early sauté alongside shallots, whereas the delicate leaves wilt in barely two minutes.
- Pangrattato provides the essential textural crunch that lardons or guanciale typically offer in classic Roman and Tuscan pasta cooking, making it an indispensable textural counterpoint.
- Always pull the pasta from boiling water when it still has a firm bite, allowing it to complete its final two minutes of cooking inside the simmering sauce to absorb flavor directly.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cool leftovers quickly and place in an airtight container within 2 hours. Keep the breadcrumbs in a separate small dry container at room temperature to maintain crunch.
Reheating: Warm leftover pasta in a wide skillet over medium heat with 30 ml of water or vegetable broth until the internal temperature reaches at least 74°C (165°F), stirring continuously. Scatter reserved room-temperature breadcrumbs over each serving.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is watery and pools at the bottom of the bowl instead of coating pasta
Cause: The cooking liquid did not boil down sufficiently, or butter was added when the pan was too cold to form a stable emulsion with the pasta starches
Fix: Return the skillet to medium heat, add an extra splash of starchy water and 10 g more grated cheese, then swirl briskly for 60 seconds until the sauce tightens
Prevention: Boil pasta in moderately concentrated water to ensure high starch content, and toss vigorously over low heat while the butter melts
Pangrattato breadcrumbs taste unpleasantly burnt and bitter
Cause: The skillet temperature was too high or the breadcrumbs were left resting in the hot skillet after removing it from heat
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Burnt breadcrumbs will ruin the dish profile and must be discarded and remade
Prevention: Toast breadcrumbs over medium heat and dump them immediately into a cool bowl the second they hit an amber color
Mushrooms turn rubbery and pale instead of crisp and browned
Cause: The baking sheet was overcrowded, causing mushrooms to steam in their trapped moisture rather than roast
Fix: Increase oven temperature to 230°C (450°F) and roast for an extra 6 to 8 minutes until excess surface moisture evaporates and edges color
Prevention: Provide generous space between mushroom pieces on the baking sheet, using two baking sheets if needed
Cultural Context
Pangrattato, historically dubbed the poor man's parmesan in Southern Italy, emerged as a resourceful way for rural cooks to stretch stale bread into a rich, savory garnish. This modern vegetarian preparation unites that southern tradition of toasted seasoned crumbs with central Italian woodland staples, contrasting earthy forest mushrooms and garden greens against silky mantecata pasta.
