This mushroom lemon pasta is loaded with three different mushrooms and coated in refreshing, light, lemon cream sauce. Delicious and easy, It’s a must make pasta dish for fall!
Showcase Mushrooms with this Pasta!
As the weather cools and leaves start to fall, I have cravings for mushrooms! For this dish, I used a mix of shiitake, cremini, and beechwood mushrooms. Shiitake adds a rich, umami, cremini brings a hearty, meaty texture, and delicate beechwood (aka Shimeji in Japan) have a mild, slightly nutty taste. Together, they create a perfect balance of flavor and texture in every bite!
Ingredients for This Recipe
- Mushrooms – Cremini, shiitake, beechwood mushrooms, or any mushrooms you have in your fridge.
- Onion
- Shallot
- Lemon Zest and Juice – Fresh lemon zest and juice brightens the pasta sauce and adds refreshing touch to the cream sauce.
- Butter
- Olive Oil
- Milk or Half and Half
- Grated Parmesan Cheese or Pecorino Romano – Cheese adds flavor and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Fresh Thyme – Thyme is a great addition to pasta and mushroom dish for its earthy flavors.
- Torchietti – I used organic lemon torchietti pasta from Trader Joe’s, which is infused with lemon oil for a delicate citrus flavor and aroma. This pasta is only available in the spring so you can substitute it with penne, ziti, farfalle, or any short pasta of your choice.
- Fresh Italian Parsley – Chopped parsley for topping.
How to Make Savory, Creamy Mushroom Lemon Pasta
- Bring pot to a boil and salt the water. Cook pasta according to instructions on the box. Once cooked, save one cup of pasta water, drain and set it aside.
- Sauté mushrooms with butter until tender and once done, transfer to a plate and set it aside.
- Next, sauté onions and shallots with olive oil until they are translucent.
- Stir in all purpose flour, fresh thyme, lemon zest and juice to the onion mixture.
- Then stir in milk or half and half and let the sauce simmer until it thickens.
If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in saved pasta water slowly until it reaches desired consistency. Season sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add sautéed mushrooms and grated cheese to the cream sauce and toss to combine.
- Once the cheese is combined with the sauce and mushrooms, toss in pasta and mix well until pasta is well coated with the sauce.
- Serve immediately with chopped Italian parsley and additional grated cheese on top!
Featured Tableware
I finally got myself Blue Calico pieces from Burleigh Pottery recently and I’m so excited to share them here! Burleigh has been making Blue Calico since 1968 and just like their Blue Asiatic Pheasant, it’s one of their most iconic patterns. Beautiful dark blue and white floral pattern is perfect to showcase my mushroom lemon pasta!
Mushroom Lemon Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups pasta (torchietti, penne, rigatoni or any short pasta)
- 7 ounces shiitake mushrooms cleaned, ends trimmed and sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms cleaned, ends trimmed and sliced
- 7 ounces brown beech mushrooms cleaned, base removed and broken off into smaller pieces.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 cup milk or half and half
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano
- salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Toppings
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (optional)
- grated parmesan or pecorino romano
Instructions
- Bring pot to a boil and salt the water. Cook pasta according to instructions on the box. Once cooked, save one cup of pasta water, drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and toss in mushrooms. Sauté until tender and once done, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and toss in onions and shallots. Sauté for few minutes until translucent.
- Turn down heat for skillet to medium low and stir in flour, fresh thyme, lemon zest and juice until well combined. Stir in milk or half and half and let the sauce simmer until it thickens. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in some pasta water slowly until it reaches desired consistency. Season sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add sautéed mushrooms and grated cheese to the cream sauce and toss to combine. Once the cheese is combined with the sauce and mushrooms, toss in pasta and mix well until pasta is well coated with the sauce.
- Serve immediately with chopped parsley and additional grated cheese on top.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
- Bucatini Pasta with Kale and Mushrooms
- Rigatoni with Onions, Bacon and Peas
- Spicy, Garlicky, Creamy Seafood Pasta
- Satisfying Creamy and Cheesy Baked Pasta