Creamy Lemon Mushroom Pasta
This is what I make when I want restaurant pasta at home. The technique is what makes it special. First, you get a hard sear on the mushrooms to concentrate their flavor, then you build a pan sauce with white wine, cream, and starchy pasta water that perfectly coats every strand of pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or fettuccine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound mixed mushrooms like cremini and shiitake, sliced
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Method
- Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms in single layer, cook undisturbed 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
- Stir and cook additional 4-5 minutes until browned all over.
- Add shallot, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add wine, scrape pan bottom, cook until nearly evaporated.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; add cream, lemon zest and juice. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add drained pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to sauce, toss well.
- Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan and parsley until creamy.
- Serve topped with extra Parmesan.
Notes
Add pasta water gradually if sauce needs thinning.
Sauce will thicken as it cools.