I first discovered this mushroom ragu on a date night with my boyfriend at <a href="https://www.lartusi.com/">L’Artusi in New York City’s West Village</a>. It was love at first bite. Fresh garganelli pasta gets wrapped in a silky, luxurious sauce of almost-pureed mushrooms, cream, tomato paste, a dry white cooking wine, and chili flakes. It’s meaty and hearty, yet filling enough to make you ignore every other dish on the table—and maybe even your date. And it’s 100% vegetarian. <br /> <br />After chatting with L’Artusi’s executive chef, Joe Vigorito, I also learned that it’s astonishingly easy to make at home. But because it’s <em>so</em> simple, he explained, “you’ve got to get everything right.” A few tips, straight from chef Vigorito: Continually stir the tomato paste so that it doesn’t burn; don’t rinse the mushrooms in water, just clean them with a paper towel; and don’t fret about the wine, any super-dry variety will work just fine. On top of that, if making fresh garganelli doesn’t fit into your time frame, a dried penne or orecchiette would also work well.

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