This rustic vegan pasta is loaded with hearty flavor from wine-braised leeks, wild mushrooms, and crumbled smoky Field Roast sausage — cozy comfort food that just happens to be entirely plant-based.
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I Grew These Mushrooms!
After reading about Back to the Roots mushroom growing kits on several blogs, I decided to try one myself — turns out “mushrooms grow on trees, how hard can it be?” was a little optimistic. I got two modest crops of oyster mushrooms out of my mushroom kit, a little stunted from the seasonal swings between air conditioning and heat drying out the growing block.
Bummer about the dryness, but I still ended up with real, honest-to-goodness oyster mushrooms I grew myself — and naturally, I had to build a recipe around them. If you want to try growing your own, the kit is still an easy, low-mess way to get a couple of harvests right on your countertop.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
The earthy flavor of wild mushrooms turned out to be a perfect match for one of my other favorite vegan products — Field Roast’s Smoked Apple Sage Sausage. Obviously, not sausage, since it’s vegan — but it brings a sweet-savory, smoky depth that makes this dish taste like it took a lot more effort than it did.
- Wild mushrooms. I used a mix of oyster and button mushrooms. Baby portobellas or cremini work great too — use whatever combination of mushrooms looks best.
- Leeks. Braised in wine until tender and sweet. Use only the white and light green parts, and rinse well between the layers to remove any grit.
- Dry white wine. Used to braise the leeks and deglaze the pan for extra flavor. A dry sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio works well; sub vegetable broth if you’d rather cook without alcohol.
- Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage. Crumbled into the pan for a smoky, savory, slightly sweet bite. If you can’t find it near you, substitute your favorite vegan sausage, or try homemade Italian-style vegan sausage instead.
- Whole wheat fettuccine. Adds nutty flavor and extra fiber. Regular fettuccine or a gluten-free pasta both work fine as substitutes.
Helpful Tips
Rinse your leeks thoroughly. Leeks trap a surprising amount of grit between their layers. Halve them lengthwise, then rinse under running water, fanning the layers apart, before slicing.
Don’t crowd the mushrooms. Mushrooms release a lot of liquid as they cook. Give them room in the pan and resist the urge to stir constantly — that’s what lets them actually brown instead of steam.
Cook the pasta while the sauce simmers. Start a pot of salted water as soon as you begin braising the leeks so the fettuccine finishes right around the same time as the mushroom-sausage mixture.
Save a splash of pasta water. A few tablespoons stirred in with the pasta helps the sauce cling to every noodle instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Taste before you salt. Field Roast sausage is already well-seasoned, so hold off on salt until the very end and adjust from there.
Variations
- Swap the sausage flavor. Field Roast makes several varieties — their Italian sausage is great here too, or try it in this Sweet Corn, Vegan Sausage, and Thyme Pizza for a different way to use up the rest of the package.
- Add greens. Wilt in a couple handfuls of spinach or kale at the end for extra color and nutrients.
- Add roasted squash. Cubes of roasted butternut squash stirred in at the end add a touch of fall sweetness.
- Make it creamy. Stir in a splash of unsweetened plant-based cream or a spoonful of vegan cream cheese just before serving for a richer sauce.
- Go gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free fettuccine or pasta shape — the sauce itself is naturally gluten-free.
- Add a crunchy topping. Toasted walnuts or panko breadcrumbs sauteed in a little olive oil add texture on top.
Serving Ideas
This pasta is hearty enough to be a full meal on its own, but a simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is a nice contrast to the rich, smoky sauce. Garlic bread or a crusty baguette is perfect for mopping up any sauce left in the bowl.
For a cozy fall dinner, pair it with a glass of the same dry white wine you used to braise the leeks. It also makes great leftovers for a weekday lunch — just reheat gently so the pasta doesn’t dry out.
Storing & Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or vegetable broth to loosen the sauce, or microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between.
This dish is best fresh, but it does freeze reasonably well for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container — keep in mind the pasta will soften a bit more upon reheating. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop with a little extra liquid to bring the sauce back together.
More Vegan Pasta Dinners
If you love this wild mushroom fettuccine, be sure to check out these other delicious plant-based ideas:
- 17 Vegan Recipes that Replace Meat with Mushrooms
- Spicy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
- 30+ Easy Vegan Weeknight Dinner Recipes
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large leeks, halved lengthwise, cut into 1 inch pieces and rinsed thoroughly to remove grit (use the light green and white parts only!)
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 oz oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Smoked Apple Sage Field Roast sausages, crumbled
- 8 oz whole wheat fettucine, cooked according to package directions
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and ¼ cup of the wine, cover, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the leeks are softened.
- Stir in the oyster and button mushrooms along with the remaining wine. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are just beginning to brown. Add the crumbled Field Roast sausage and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until heated through.
- Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions; drain. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.
Julie says
I'm drooling...... also very impressed you grew mushrooms! Fingers crossed I can grow some too!!
The Type A Housewife says
Are you growing them from a kit? I've seen ones for shiitakes too and they're calling my name, but I'm going to wait until the spring. It's probably cheaper to buy them, but not nearly as much fun!
BKWilliams says
This looks so good. I love mushrooms fresh or cooked.
The Type A Housewife says
I love cooked mushrooms, but I have never liked them raw. Have you tried roasting mushrooms? They are great like that!
BusyWorkingMama says
I have never tried to grow them but remember in Poland that there were several farms near my grandmother's farm that did. They were cinder-blocked, dark and moist greenhouses. I remember going to sneak a taste every now and then 🙂 We also went mushroom picking in the local forests.
The Type A Housewife says
I have heard about people picking mushrooms in forests, but that would make me nervous! I am so inept, I just know I'd end up poisoning myself. 🙂
Now I want a cinder-block mushroom farm in my backyard!!!
BusyWorkingMama says
We picked them in the woods of Michigan when I lived up north.
Kelly says
This sounds so good and perfect for fall! The mushrooms looks so pretty, it's a shame they weren't very good.
The Type A Housewife says
The mushrooms were really good--I just couldn't get them to grow very big because they started drying out on the edges.
blueviolet says
That looks terrifically yummy!
Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says
Oh how impressive!! This looks so amazing!
Val says
Oh mah gawd. I am totally going to get a mushroom kit now!!!
The Type A Housewife says
They sell them at Whole Foods too! The ones at ours literally have mushrooms busting out of the tops. 🙂
snixykitchen says
So impressed that you grew your own mushrooms! I'm too scared that I'd accidentally grow mold or hallucinatory mushrooms instead - haha. I was just saying that foraging for my own mushrooms is on my bucket list though...
The Type A Housewife says
Ha! I had that thought too, but at least with oyster mushrooms, they have such an obvious shape that you know you haven't grown something poisonous. 🙂 Now, foraging for mushrooms, I just KNOW I would pick the wrong ones!