Lemon Butter Mushroom Linguine

This sunshine-on-a-plate pasta features paper-thin garlic and mixed mushrooms sautéed in browned butter, deglazed with white wine, emulsified with fresh lemon juice and zest, then finished with a snowstorm of Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley. Light yet luxurious, bright yet buttery — pure Italian coastal perfection in 22 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the pasta you’ll make when you want to feel like you’re eating on a terrace overlooking the Amalfi coast, even if it’s Tuesday in Ohio. The mushrooms are nutty and golden, the sauce is glossy and clings like velvet, the lemon cuts through the richness with electric brightness, and the whole thing tastes like it took hours but is literally one pan and 22 minutes. It’s vegetarian, easily vegan, naturally sophisticated, and guaranteed to make people ask “where did you order this from?” Make it once and it becomes your signature dish.

Yield: serves 4

Lemon Butter Mushroom Linguine

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Silky linguine tossed with golden mushrooms, browned butter, garlic, bright lemon, white wine, and a blizzard of Parmesan.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Additional Time 4 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Ingredients

• 380–400 g thin linguine or spaghetti
• 500 g mixed mushrooms, sliced 3 mm thick
• 100 g (7 tbsp) European-style salted butter
• 5 large garlic cloves, sliced paper-thin
• ¾ cup (180 ml) dry white wine
• 1 cup reserved pasta water (plus extra)
• Zest of 2 large lemons + 3 tablespoons fresh juice
• 1¼ cups (120 g) freshly microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano + extra
• ½ teaspoon sea salt + lots for pasta water
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• ⅓ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Optional luxury: ½ tsp white truffle oil or a few shavings of fresh truffle

Instructions

1. Fill your largest pot with 6 quarts water and bring to a rolling boil. Salt until it tastes like the sea — this is 80% of your seasoning.
2. While water heats, prep everything: slice mushrooms 3 mm thick, slice garlic paper-thin (mandoline is fastest), zest both lemons with microplane, juice them, grate Parmesan.
3. Heat your widest sauté pan (14-inch) over medium-high for 90 seconds. Add the entire 100 g butter. Swirl constantly as it melts, foams, then turns golden → light brown → hazelnut color with tiny brown flecks (about 3–4 minutes total). The second it smells toasty, proceed.
4. Immediately add all the mushrooms in one layer. Do NOT stir for 3 full minutes — let them drink up the browned butter and turn golden.
5. Drop pasta into the boiling water now. Set timer for exactly 7 minutes (it will finish in sauce).
6. After 3 minutes, toss mushrooms, season with ½ tsp salt, and cook another 3–4 minutes until deeply golden and any liquid has evaporated. Push to the edges.
7. Add paper-thin garlic to the center. Cook 45–60 seconds until pale golden and fragrant. Pour in white wine — it will sizzle dramatically. Scrape up every brown bit and reduce by two-thirds (about 2 minutes).
8. Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice and ½ cup pasta water. Swirl to emulsify.
9. Scoop out 2 full cups pasta water total. Using tongs, transfer pasta directly from water into the sauce (some water clinging is perfect). Add ¾ cup more pasta water, return to medium heat, and toss vigorously 90 seconds. Add Parmesan in 3 batches while tossing — the sauce will turn glossy and clingy. Add more pasta water if needed until it glides.
10. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, parsley, tons of black pepper, and one final toss. Let rest in pan 4 minutes (sauce thickens perfectly). Twirl into warmed bowls, shower with extra Parmesan, another crack of pepper, and a few drops of truffle oil if using. Serve immediately with chilled white wine and zero conversation for the first minute.

Notes

The browned butter can be made 1 hour ahead and gently rewarmed.

Use unwaxed organic lemons — you’re eating the zest.

This is naturally vegetarian and easily vegan.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 222Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 290mgSodium 127mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 5gSugar 5gProtein 15g

The recipes and nutritional information on Fungi Recipes are for informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare provider for personalized dietary advice.

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Recipe Tips and Tricks

1. Use the thinnest linguine or spaghetti you can find (De Cecco #11 or Rustichella d’Abruzzo) — thinner strands = more sauce adhesion.
2. Slice mushrooms 3 mm thick and garlic paper-thin — even cooking and no burnt garlic.
3. Brown the butter to true noisette (hazelnut color) — that’s where the magic lives.
4. Reserve 2 full cups pasta water — starchy gold.
5. Add lemon zest at the very end — heat dulls its perfume.
6. Finish the pasta in the sauce for 90 seconds — this is non-negotiable for flavor absorption.
7. Use a microplane for both Parmesan and lemon zest — powdery texture melts instantly.

Ingredients Notes

• Pasta: 380–400 g dried thin linguine or spaghetti
• Mixed mushrooms: 500 g total — 200 g cremini, 150 g shiitake (stems removed), 100 g oyster, 50 g king trumpet for drama
• European butter: 100 g (82–84% fat) — Kerrygold, Plugra, or Lurpak
• White wine: dry, crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino
• Lemons: 2 large, unwaxed — you want the zest more than the juice
• Parmigiano Reggiano: 24-month minimum, microplaned fresh
• Garlic: 5 large cloves sliced paper-thin on mandoline

Variations and Substitutions

• Protein: Add seared scallops, shrimp, or crispy pancetta at the end.
• Vegan: Oat cream finish + nutritional yeast + vegan butter + GF pasta.
• Spring version: Add asparagus tips + fresh peas + mint.
• Truffle luxury: White truffle oil or fresh truffle shavings.
• Spicy: Infuse a dried chili in the butter.
• Gluten-free: Jovial spaghetti or capellini.

Storage Options

• Fridge: Up to 3 days in airtight container.
• Reheat gently on stove with splash of water or cream — never microwave (butter separates).
• Freezer: Freeze in portions up to 2 months; thaw overnight and reheat with fresh butter.

Special notes

• The browned butter can be made 1 hour ahead and gently rewarmed.
• Use unwaxed organic lemons — you’re eating the zest.
• This is naturally vegetarian and easily vegan.

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