Have you gotten on the social distancing sourdough starter bandwagon yet? If you have and you’re wondering what to do with all that discard after each feeding, I’ve got a fun cooking project for you. This chocolate sourdough pasta may sound familiar- but it’s gotten a savory makeover and it’s so, SO GOOD.

The chocolate sourdough pasta is silky as can be, and its subtle bitterness pairs perfectly with Italian sausage and garlicky mushrooms. And don’t skimp on the parmesan cheese. I know it feels like end times and all, but treat yourself. You deserve it.

Chocolate Sourdough Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Sourdough Chocolate Pasta Dough (adapted from Make It Dough’s Sourdough Discard Pasta)

90 g sourdough starter discard

100 g double zero flour

60 g semolina flour

4 g kosher salt

25 g cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s special dark chocolate cocoa powder)

1 egg + 1 yolk

5 g olive oil

Chocolate Sourdough Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb Italian sausage, bulk or removed from casings

1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced

10 sprigs thyme

1/3 C dry white wine

8 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt + more for seasoning pasta water

pepper

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 C reserved pasta water

chocolate sourdough pasta noodles

Make the sourdough chocolate pasta dough by combining the sourdough starter discard, double zero flour, semolina flour, salt, cocoa powder, egg, egg yolk, and olive oil in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix everything together with your hands and knead until a shaggy ball of dough forms. Continue kneading by hand or with the dough attachment on a stand mixer until the dough is smooth and elastic, approximately 15 minutes. You know the dough is ready when it springs back after touching it. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for two hours. Then place the dough in the fridge to continue resting for another 2 hours.

Sprinkle a large rimmed baking sheet with a few large pinches of semolina flour and cocoa powder. Mix it together with your fingers. Slice off a 1/4” thick slice of pasta dough, and flatten it out in your hands. Dust the dough with a bit of the semolina/cocoa mixture to keep it from sticking in the pasta machine.

Run the dough through on the thickest setting of a pasta maker one or two times to flatten it out. Fold the dough into thirds, like you are folding a piece of paper to fit in an envelope. Place the dough in the pasta machine with the folded edges running vertically. Run through the machine on the thickest setting one or two times, until smooth.

Repeat this process until you roll the pasta out to the thinnest setting on your pasta machine. Keep the sheets of pasta covered in the flour mixture and covered with a towel or plastic wrap to keep from drying out while you cut them. Run the sheets of pasta through the pasta cutter side of your pasta machine, or cut by hand with a pizza or pastry cutter into your desired size (I cut mine into fettuccini). Place cut pasta on a drying rack to dry out a bit before cooking.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and season generously with salt.

In a large sauté pan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and brown sausage over medium-medium high heat, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pan, and set aside to drain on a paper towel lined bowl or plate.

Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan, stirring to coat in the grease. If the mushrooms look dry, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the mushrooms until they have started to brown, then add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook out, approximately 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the garlic has softened, another 2-3 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs, and add the sausage back to the pan, stirring to combine.

Add the chocolate pasta to the boiling water, and cook until al dente, approximately 2 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 C of pasta water. Add the pasta water and butter to the mushroom and sausage mixture, and cook until the sauce is silky and has thickened. Toss the pasta in the sauce, making sure to coat each noodle.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with a generous amount of parmesan cheese on top.

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Chocolate Sourdough Pasta with Sausage and Mushrooms