Campanelle with Bechamel, Pancetta and Mushrooms

Campanelle with Bechamel, Pancetta and Mushrooms

Béchamel sauce is wonderful, fairly easy to make and is endlessly customizable. It has a short list of ingredients but requires some technique and attention. Paired with mushrooms and Campanelle pasta, this dish becomes warming and comforting.
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Read the Story of this Recipe.

Campanelle with Bechamel, Pancetta and Mushrooms Recipe

By Chris Becker
Prep time: 15m
Cook time: 20m
Servings: 2 entree portions or 4 side portions

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fresh Della Terra Campanelle or 6 ounces Della Terra Creste di Gallo
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 3 ounces Pancetta
  • 1 cup crimini mushrooms with stems trimmed and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • a sprig of fresh thyme
  • 5 or 6 cracks of black pepper from a pepper mill
  • 4 Tablespoons of Bechamel sauce
  • 1/3 cup parmesan, grated
  • Kosher salt

Pots, Pans, and Tools Needed

  • Medium saute pan
  • Pot for cooking the pasta
  • Long handle strainer/sieve
  • Wooden spoon

Make the Sauce

  • In a medium-size saute pan, combine the oil and pancetta over medium/high heat.
  • As soon as the pancetta starts to brown, add the mushrooms. Quickly stir and let sizzle in the pan.
  • When the mushrooms have become slightly golden, add 1 tablespoon of the butter along with the garlic and thyme. Stir together and lower the heat to low. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the garlic has become translucent.
  • Turn the heat off and add ½ cup of the bechamel while stirring together to form the sauce and then remove and discard the thyme sprigs.

Make the Pasta

  • Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoons of kosher salt. Cook the pasta for the suggested time, tasting it at the lower number and cooking until the al dente meets your preference.
  • Using the sieve, remove the cooked pasta and add it to the sauce when it is ready.

Complete the Dish

  • Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce to combine; adjust consistency with pasta water if needed.
  • Toss or stir the remaining parmesan into the pan with the pasta.
  • Plate the pasta and drizzle the remaining béchamel to garnish.

Substitutions

  • PASTA: Use our whole grain pasta or Campanelle
  • VEGETARIAN: Omit the pancetta.
  • VEGAN: Omit the pancetta, butter and cheese. Replace with vegan butter & parmesan.

Learn how to adjust the recipe portion.

Referenced products

  • Campanelle
    Campanelle
    Campanelle

    Campanelle

  • Pasta - Creste Di Gallo in Wooden Bowl
    Pasta - Creste Di Gallo
    Creste Di Gallo

    Creste Di Gallo

  • Spice - Malabar Black Pepper

    Spice - Malabar Black Pepper

STORY TIME: MUSHROOMS AND BÉCHAMEL   

When I think about comforting flavors, my mind sometimes drifts towards childhood memories of cream of mushroom soup, egg noodles, and chicken. While it isn't my intent to recreate that dish, there is something comforting about those flavors.

Bechamel is an easy to make sauce that adds a creamy richness to to dish, and enhances ingredients like mushrooms, roasted autumn squash, chicken and other savory foods.

    I love the texture of shiitake mushrooms, and they also have a bolder flavor than a regular button or crimini. Mushrooms are all somewhat interchangeable, so it’s more about what you want to use as it will have little impact on the steps of the recipe.

    NOTES, TIPS, AND TRICKS

    In general this is a fairly quick recipe that is packed with flavor. A couple key ingredients to look out for:

    PANCETTA: feel free to use bacon or guanciale, but pancetta is the one to look out for for this.

    BECHAMEL: not required for this recipe but definitely adds a rich creaminess turning the dish into a comfort meal.

    MUSHROOMS: Use crimini, shiitake, king trumpet or a mix of all three.

    See all articles in Recipes

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