Food and Recipes Pasta Pasta With Morel-And-Pea Cream Sauce 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews Serve spring on a plate with pasta, morel mushrooms, and peas in a light and creamy sauce. By Ann Taylor Pittman Ann Taylor Pittman For 20 years, Ann Taylor Pittman built a career of creating healthy recipes at Cooking Light magazine, where she most recently served as Executive Editor. She is the recipient of two James Beard Foundation Awards: a feature writing award and a cookbook award. She is now a freelancer specializing in recipe development, writing, and video. Follow her on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 22, 2024 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Frederick Hardy II, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Morel mushrooms seem almost other-worldly; they have porous, spongy caps that generously soak up any surrounding flavors. Here, they absorb the creamy sauce with shallot-infused butter, fortified wine, and the soft anise notes of tarragon. If you can't find morels at the farmer's market, feel free to substitute a mix of wild or cremini mushrooms from the grocery store; regular chives can stand in for garlic chives. Casarecce noodles are about an inch long; you can swap them out for any short, tubular pasta, such as penne or cavatappi. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 12 oz. uncooked casarecce pasta 2 Tbsp. olive oil 8 oz. fresh morel mushrooms, halved lengthwise (about 5 cups) 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1/4 cup minced shallot (from 1 large shallot) 1 cup shelled green peas (or thawed frozen peas) 1/4 cup Madeira wine (or Marsala wine or sherry) 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 1 oz. pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup) Kosher salt, to taste, plus more for salting water Black pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh garlic chives 2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves Directions Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water. While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add olive oil to skillet, swirling to coat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms start to brown and soften, about 4 minutes. Add butter, shallot, and peas. Cook, stirring often, until shallot softens and mushrooms are brown in spots, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine; cook, stirring occasionally, until wine evaporates, about 1 minute. Stir in cream, cooked pasta, and 1/3 cup of the reserved cooking water. Cook, stirring often, until sauce clings to pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper; add remaining cooking water, 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to keep sauce creamy. Sprinkle with garlic chives and tarragon. Serve immediately. Save Rate Print