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Mushroom Pasta with Parmesan

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5 from 10 reviews

This mushroom pasta recipe is all about savory, buttery, creamy flavor! Mushrooms pair perfectly with garlic, lemon, and Parmesan. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 8 ounces* short pasta, like penne, rigatoni, or casarecce, plus saved pasta water
  • 16 ounces baby bella (cremini) mushrooms (or a mix of other types)
  • 1/2 small sweet onion or yellow onion
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs or panko (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or sliced fresno pepper)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese**
  • Creamy variation: 3 to 4 ounces soft crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta (and save the pasta water!): Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Set the timer for a few minutes less than the package instructions and then taste: the pasta should be just done, still with some firmness. The pasta should also taste salty from the salted water. Drain the pasta and save out 1/2 cup pasta water (you’ll likely only need a few tablespoons).
  2. Meanwhile, start the mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms, then slice them. Thinly slice the onion. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Then mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is cooked out and the mushrooms are tender (taste to assess doneness). Add 1 tablespoon butter and lemon juice and increase heat to high. Cook 2 minutes until the edges of mushrooms are golden brown. Taste and add a few more pinches of salt until the flavor pops. Stir in the Italian breadcrumbs or panko and remove the mushrooms to a bowl. 
  3. Make the garlic butter sauce: Mince the garlic. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and garlic just starts to turn golden. Remove from the heat before garlic browns.
  4. Serve: To the skillet with the garlic butter sauce, add the mushrooms, cooked pasta, grated Parmesan cheese, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and just enough pasta water until saucy (we used 2 to 3 tablespoons pasta water). Taste again and add a few more pinches of salt if desired. If using, stir in the soft crumbled goat cheese at the end until it makes a creamy sauce. Enjoy warm. 

Notes

*Double this amount for a larger, more filling plate of pasta. Or, complete your meal with a filling vegetable side dish or salad.

**Fresh grating from a large block of Parmesan cheese is best; sometimes pre-grated or pre-shredded Parmesan cheese includes stabilizers that can cause the cheese to stick together and become gummy.

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/mushroom-pasta/