Tastemaker Program Recipe: Mushroom Agnolotti with Fresh Spinach & Asiago Alfredo Sauce

Like most of my fellow Foodbuzz.com Featured Publishers & Tastemaker participants, I received a lovely sample of Buittoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti on my doorstep a few days ago. They seemed delicious and I was very eager to try them right then & there. But I’ve been rather busy lately so I wanted to save this for a nice weekend dinner when I’d have more time to play around with sauce ideas. Though I generally shy away from heavier, cream-based sauces when the weather begins to warm, I thought these mushroom & cheese stuffed cousins of ravioli would go perfectly with sharp, yet creamy alfredo sauce. Something told me they’d be able to stand up to the sharpness of an alfredo sauce made with asiago instead of parmesan cheese, so I figured I’d step outside the norm and give it a go. Extra mushrooms & some fresh chopped spinach seemed to be perfect additions to this dish, tossed in at the very end. This and a glass of vino made for a wonderful meal after such a crazy busy week.

Naturally, I made sure to try a couple of these agnolotti by themselves so I could get an idea of their true flavor and what future sauces I could concoct for them. Made with a variety of wild mushrooms and parmesan cheese, the filling and the tender pasta surrounding it would go quite well with a tomato-based sauce, maybe some prosciutto & peas, or some pesto (not all at the same time, of course). A couple of glugs of olive oil and some freshly grated parmesan and black pepper would also be perfect for these if you’re not into a lot of sauce. This isn’t the cheapest PG meal I’ve made; but at around $4/package (12 agnolotti per pack), this is not too expensive a meal/side if you’re feeling a bit lazy, as long as you make your own sauce. Buitoni does offer some terrific sauces, but you know me… if I can make it at home, even better!

If you’re not particularly into sharp, pungent sauces, feel free to stick to a regular alfredo sauce (just substitute parmesan for the asiago). I found this to be a sinfully delicious sauce, but I happen to like bold flavors. Because all I had was half & half at home, I ended up with a slightly thinner sauce than most alfredo, but if you use heavy whipping cream you’ll be sure to have the right consistency. Lastly, if you don’t get full easily, treat this as a side as opposed to an entree. This agnolotti isn’t the heartiest little pasta out there, but they certainly would jazz up an otherwise boring meal, or go great as an entree with a nice salad.