Creamy one-pot pasta with chicken and mushrooms recipe

By Mark Bittman, The New York Times

Cooking pasta the way you would make risotto may sound new and hip. But it’s at least old enough to have been demonstrated to me in Rome in 1976, and I imagine as old as pasta itself. In this method, the liquid is minimized: there’s no need for a gallon per pound of pasta. The liquid is added gradually to the pasta, which absorbs it completely and thereby retains its starch. This makes the pasta creamy and rich; it also gains the flavor of the stock. You can use pretty much any pasta shape you like, but timing will vary depending on size. This approach may seem like more work than making pasta in the ordinary way. But as the making of the “sauce” is integrated into the pasta-cooking, it really becomes a one-dish meal — as interesting as risotto, and even a bit quicker. Here is a combination of gemelli with mushrooms and chicken to get you started.

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
• 1 shallot or small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups crimini, shiitake or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 pound cut pasta like gemelli or penne, or long pasta broken into bits
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
• 3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 boneless chicken thighs, diced
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional
• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional