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
Cooking Mushrooms with Other Ingredients
Heat olive oil in a medium size skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
As soon as the oil is hot enough to cook, add the garlic, shallots, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and a small amount of salt.
Wait a few minutes for the garlic, shallots, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt to cook before adding the sliced mushrooms; if the pan appears dry, add additional olive oil.
At first, the mushrooms will produce liquid and cook.
After a few minutes the liquid will evaporate and the mushrooms will begin to turn brown.
Add the juice from the lemon to the mushrooms and remove the garlic cloves.
Cooking Pasta About Done
While you are cooking the mushrooms, bring a large stockpot of well salted water to the boil.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions; however, remove the pasta 1 minute prior to what is stated on the package.
Once the pasta is ready you will cook it further in the sauce.
Prior to draining the pasta, reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the water used to cook the pasta.
After draining the pasta, do not rinse.
Filling Pasta with Sauce
In the same stockpot you used to cook the pasta, add the drained pasta, butter, heavy cream, 1 cup of pasta cooking water, and the grated Grana Padano and stir well.
Heat over medium heat until the sauce is thick and coats all pieces of pasta (approximately 2 minutes).
If necessary, add more reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce so that it is creamy but not heavy.
Add the cooked mushroom mixture to the pasta and mix; taste for salt.
Serve pasta immediately and garnish it with chopped Italian parsley and additional grated Grana Padano.
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.
