Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 large shallot, peeled and minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- 12 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 12 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups pasta water
- 4 oz Grana Padano, finely grated, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 lbs pasta of choice
Cook the Mushrooms and Aromatics
Set a medium skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
Once warm, add the garlic cloves, shallot, thyme leaves, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt.
Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for ~3 minutes until they start to soften; add more olive oil if the pan looks dry.
The mushrooms will release their liquid first, then start to brown as that moisture cooks off.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the mushrooms and remove the smashed garlic cloves.
Cook the Pasta Just Shy of Done
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package directions – you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce.
Before draining, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the starchy pasta water and set aside.
Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it.
Finish the Pasta in the Sauce
Add the drained pasta back to the pot along with the butter, heavy cream, 1 cup of the pasta water, and the grated Grana Padano.
Toss everything together and cook over medium heat for ~2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats each piece of pasta.
Add more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce – it should be creamy, not thick.
Fold in the cooked mushroom mixture and taste for salt.
Serve immediately with minced Italian parsley and extra shaved Grana Padano on top.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 large shallot peeled and minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- 12 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 12 oz shiitake mushrooms sliced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups pasta water
- 4 oz Grana Padano finely grated, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 lbs pasta of choice
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, shallot, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook briefly.
- Add mushrooms and cook 3 minutes until softened and browned.
- Squeeze lemon juice over mushrooms and remove garlic cloves.
- Meanwhile, boil salted water and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions.
- Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water before draining.
- Return drained pasta to pot with butter, cream, 1 cup pasta water, and Grana Padano.
- Toss and cook over medium heat 2 minutes until sauce thickens and coats pasta.
- Add more pasta water if needed to reach creamy consistency.
- Fold in mushroom mixture and adjust salt.
- Serve immediately with parsley and extra Grana Padano.
