Gordon Ramsay’s mushroom, leek and tarragon pasta is sliced chestnut mushrooms and leeks tossed with chicken stock, double cream (heavy cream) and boiled lasagne sheets. The tarragon goes in off the heat so it stays fresh. Serves 2 in about 20 minutes.
The recipe comes from the Ultimate Cookery Course. Ramsay calls it “a fast and simple open lasagne that doesn’t need any time in the oven.” He says to put the kettle on before you take your coat off. He walks through the method in his YouTube video.
The step most people skip is reducing the chicken stock before adding cream. Five minutes of boiling cuts it by half and concentrates the flavour. That gives you a sauce that coats the pasta rather than pooling at the bottom.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Mushroom, Leek and Tarragon Pasta
Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes15
minutes480
kcal20 minutes
Quick open lasagne from the Ultimate Cookery Course. Mushrooms, leeks, chicken stock and cream with tarragon stirred in off the heat, served with garlic bruschette. No oven needed.
Ingredients
Olive oil, for frying
8 chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 leek, trimmed, quartered lengthways and sliced
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
4-6 lasagne sheets, dried or fresh
100ml (scant ½ cup) double cream (heavy cream)
2 tbsp roughly chopped tarragon leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the garlic bruschette:
2 slices ciabatta bread
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
Directions
- Sauté the mushrooms: Heat a large frying pan with a dash of olive oil. Season the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes until starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the leeks: Stir in the sliced leek and cook for 6-8 minutes until the leeks are soft and the mushrooms are golden. The water cooks out and the flavour concentrates.
- Reduce the stock: Pour in the chicken stock and boil for 5 minutes until reduced by half.
- Cook the pasta: Meanwhile, boil the lasagne sheets in salted water for 4 minutes or until just al dente. Twist the pan to stop them sticking.
- Add the cream: Pour the cream into the frying pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Combine: Drain the lasagne sheets and add to the sauce, stirring until well coated. Turn off the heat, scatter the tarragon over and let it sit for a minute.
- Toast the bruschette: Rub ciabatta slices with olive oil and the cut garlic clove. Toast in a griddle pan for 1-2 minutes each side.
- Serve: Spoon the pasta onto plates, layering attractively. Serve the bruschette on the side.
Notes
- Ramsay uses lasagne sheets but says in the video “any type of pasta you’ve got in the cupboard will do.” Tagliatelle or pappardelle work well because the wide shapes hold the creamy sauce. Add the tarragon off the heat so it keeps its anise flavour.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay use lasagne sheets instead of regular pasta?
The wide sheets create layers in the bowl that trap the cream sauce between them. It turns a simple pasta into something that looks like an open lasagne. No baking dish, no oven, same result.
In the video he says “lasagne sheets are an unusual choice but they work brilliantly.” If you want the traditional layered version, the vegetable lasagne uses the same mushroom, leek and tarragon base. That one bakes in the oven with béchamel and tomato sauce on top.
Can you make this vegetarian?
Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock and it is fully vegetarian. The mushrooms give enough savoury depth that you will not miss the chicken stock much.
The UCC recipe calls for chicken stock, but the flavour base really comes from the reduced mushrooms and leeks. The stock adds body to the sauce, so use a good quality one rather than a weak cube.
What mushrooms work best?
Ramsay specifies chestnut mushrooms in the book because they hold their shape and have more flavour than white button mushrooms. The video shows them sliced about 5mm thick so they colour quickly.
For a richer version, mix in a handful of dried porcini soaked in hot water. The mushroom soup uses this same porcini trick to build a deeper base from ordinary supermarket mushrooms.
How is this different from carbonara?
Carbonara uses eggs and cheese to make its sauce, with no cream at all in the traditional version. This mushroom pasta uses cream and stock reduced together, so the flavour comes from the vegetables rather than pork.
Ramsay’s carbonara from Ramsay in 10 does add mushrooms, but the technique is completely different. That one is smoky and rich from the bacon. This one is earthy and fresh from the tarragon.
What else can you use the leek and mushroom base for?
The sautéed mushrooms and leeks work as a filling for pies, wellingtons and omelettes. The turkey and leek pasta uses a similar leek-and-cream base, so leftover roast turkey slides straight into the same method.
For a quicker weeknight pasta with no cream, the aglio olio uses just garlic, olive oil and chilli. Both are 20-minute suppers, but opposite ends of the richness scale.
