Pasta alla Pastora

This Creamy Bolognese Pasta (Pasta alla Pastora) is a dish originating from Alto-Adige, South Tyrol in North-East Italy. The Bolognese-based sauce is enhanced with the addition of cream, mushrooms, ham, and green peas. Hearty and delicious, this pasta is sure to please.

Hey folks – how are you doing? I hope this week (and, apparently, March too) has been treating you well so far. While it is still some time until March 19, when astronomical (equinox) spring starts, March 1 is always exciting because a) meteorological spring starts March 1 and b) normally, you can feel spring in the air by this time. (It does not mean that we are done with winter and snow here in Nova Scotia… probably not until mid-April or May, LOL!)

Anyway, another week – another pasta recipe!

In fact, all the recipes I have been sharing this year so far were made and photographed in 2023. And yes, last winter we had pasta so many times – I would say we tried an authentic pasta recipe almost each weekend! (Unlike in 2024, when we have enjoyed pasta just a couple of times so far) :)

And it is no secret that I used two blogs The Pasta Project – Authentic Pasta Recipes (the-pasta-project.com) and Memorie di Angelina – Easy authentic Italian recipes, for searching and learning some authentic dishes I had not been familiar with.

Creamy Bolognese Pasta (Pasta alla Pastora)

I grabbed the recipe for Pasta alla Pastora from the Pasta Project.

What is Pasta alla Pastora?

It is a Bolognese-based sauce elevated with an addition of cream, mushrooms, ham, and green peas. You do not need to make Bolognese for this recipe, as it is a perfect way to utilize some leftover Bolognese by adding a few additional ingredients. So next time you make Bolognese from scratch, be sure to make a large batch to enjoy it with a few different recipes!

To make Pasta alla Pastora, you will need to make some Bolognese, if you do not have any leftovers, and that will take a minimum of 2-3 hours. So please plan accordingly. For the sauce, sauté onions, mushrooms, ham, and peas with some oil, then combine with the Bolognese and cream – done!

The only significant difference from the Pasta Project recipe is that I additionally cooked the mushrooms first, to release an excess of liquid so that they would be more aromatic and browned. But you can skip this step and sauté everything together.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Creamy Bolognese Pasta

• Pasta – Use tubular pasta such as penne, canneroni, or rigatoni.
• Bolognese sauce.
• Olive oil – for sautéing the onion, mushrooms, ham, and peas.
• Button mushrooms.
• Cooked lean ham.
• Frozen green peas.
• Cream – Use either 10% or 18%.
• Onion.
• Fresh parsley.
• Salt and pepper.

More Authentic Pasta Recipes

Looking for more Italian pasta recipes? Please be sure to check some.

Pasta alla Papalina

Pasta with Sardines

Ragù alla Bolognese

Pasta alla Genovese

Sicilian Style Pasta with Cauliflower

I hope you like this Pasta alla Pastora, and you will give it a try.  If you make it, let me know in this post, send me an Instagram message or share your photos adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

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Pasta alla Pastora

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Pasta and GnocchiCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-5

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Pasta alla Pastora is a dish originated from Alto-Adige, South Tyrol, Italy. This is a Bolognese-based sauce with an addition of cream, mushrooms, ham, and green peas. Cooking time does not include time for making Bolognese; that will be another 2-4 hours.

Recipe adopted from the Pasta Project.

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Ingredients

• ~400-420 gr. tubular pasta such as penne, canneroni, or rigatoni

• 200 gr. Bolognese sauce

• 2-3 tbsp. (30-35 ml.) olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 200 gr. button mushrooms

• 100 gr. cooked lean ham, cubed

• 100 gr. frozen green peas

• 150 ml. cream (10 or 18%)

• salt and black, to taste

• fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

• If you are not using leftover Bolognese sauce, be sure to make a batch before proceeding; keep in mind Bolognese requires a minimum of 2 hours to cook.
• Clean the mushrooms – depending on how dirty they are, you may simply wipe or quickly rinse. Slice.
• In a large pan or skillet, cook the mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes, without adding any oil. The mushrooms will release an excess of liquid first then will start browning. Once the released liquid has mostly evaporated and mushrooms have started browning, remove and set them aside.
• If necessary, wipe or quickly rinse the pan (in case some mushroom pieces stack to the bottom.) Return the pan to the low-medium heat. Add some olive oil and cook the onion, for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften.
• Return the mushrooms to the pan and add the ham and green peas (you don’t need to thaw them in advance.) Cook on a low heat for about 15-20 minutes. If the sauce seems to be dry, add a splash of water.
• In a meantime, cook the pasta in salted boiling water, until al dente, as instructed on the package.
• When peas and mushrooms are ready (step 5), stir in the Bolognese sauce and cream. Season with some salt and pepper, if necessary, to your taste. Simmer for a minute or so.
• When the pasta is ready (step 8), reserve some pasta water and drain them gently stir in the pasta into the sauce. If the sauce seems to be too thick / dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta water. Let the mixture cook for a minute to combine the flavours then add the parsley and serve. Enjoy!