Name: Mushroom and Asparagus Fusilli
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 36 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g bronze-die fusilli corti bucati; 450 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 4 mm thick; 380 g asparagus (1 large bunch), trimmed & cut on sharp bias into 4 cm pieces; 80 g European-style salted butter, divided; 4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced or microplaned; 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine; Zest of 1 large lemon + 2 tbsp juice; 1½ cups (140 g) freshly microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano + extra; ½ cup reserved pasta water (plus extra); Sea salt & lots of freshly cracked black pepper; ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves; Optional luxury: ½ tsp white truffle oil or a few shavings of fresh truffle

Bronze-die fusilli is tossed with butter-browned cremini mushrooms, crisp-tender asparagus tips, a bright white-wine lemon butter sauce, microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano, and a blizzard of fresh parsley and basil. Finished with cracked pepper and optional truffle oil, this is the pasta that screams “spring has arrived” in every bite.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the dish you’ll make the second the first bunch of local asparagus appears at the market. The mushrooms are nutty and golden, the asparagus is perfectly crisp-tender with bright green pop, the sauce is light yet buttery with a whisper of lemon that makes everything taste like sunshine, and the bronze-die fusilli grabs every drop. It’s on the table in 22 real minutes, vegetarian, easily vegan, and tastes like something from a countryside trattoria in Tuscany. One forkful and you’ll be closing your eyes and smiling.

Yield: serves 4

Mushroom and Asparagus Fusilli

Twirly fusilli with golden cremini, tender asparagus, garlic, lemon, white wine, Parmesan, and fresh herbs – pure spring luxury.

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 4 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Ingredients

400 g bronze-die fusilli corti bucati
450 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 4 mm thick
380 g asparagus (1 large bunch), trimmed & cut on sharp bias into 4 cm pieces
80 g European-style salted butter, divided
4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced or microplaned
150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine
Zest of 1 large lemon + 2 tbsp juice
1½ cups (140 g) freshly microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano + extra
½ cup reserved pasta water (plus extra)
Sea salt & lots of freshly cracked black pepper
⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves
Optional luxury: ½ tsp white truffle oil or a few shavings of fresh truffle

Instructions

Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil. Salt aggressively (3 tbsp minimum).
While water heats, prep everything with laser precision: slice mushrooms 4 mm, cut asparagus on a 45-degree bias into 4 cm pieces (discard woody ends), slice/microplane garlic, zest lemon, juice it, grate Parmesan.
Heat your widest sauté pan (14-inch) over high for 90 seconds. Add 50 g butter (about 3½ tbsp). When foaming subsides, add ALL mushrooms in one layer. Do NOT touch for 4 full minutes — let them sear golden.
Toss mushrooms, season with ½ tsp salt, and cook another 3–4 minutes until deeply browned and liquid evaporates. Push to the edges.
Drop fusilli into the boiling water now. Set timer for exactly 9 minutes.
Add remaining 30 g butter + garlic to the center. Cook 45–60 seconds until fragrant and pale golden. Pour in white wine — dramatic sizzle! Scrape up every brown bit and reduce by two-thirds (about 2 minutes).
When pasta timer hits 7½ minutes total, add asparagus pieces directly to the pasta water. They need exactly 90 seconds.
Reserve 2 full cups pasta water. Using a spider, transfer pasta + asparagus straight into the mushroom pan (some water clinging is perfect). Add ¾ cup pasta water, lemon juice, and all the Parmesan in 3 batches while tossing vigorously with tongs for 90 seconds over medium heat. Sauce will go from watery to glossy silk. Add more pasta water if needed.
Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, parsley, basil, cracked pepper, and one final 1 tsp raw butter. Toss gently. Let rest in warm pan 4 minutes — sauce thickens perfectly.
Twirl into warmed bowls, shower with extra Parmesan, more pepper, and optional truffle oil. Serve immediately with chilled white wine and the first warm evening of spring.

Notes

Use only medium-thick asparagus — pencil-thin overcooks, jumbo stays woody

The dish is naturally vegetarian and easily vegan

Bronze-die pasta is non-negotiable for proper sauce adhesion

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 413Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 348mgSodium 162mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 8gSugar 6gProtein 25g

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

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Buy bronze-die fusilli (De Cecco, Garofalo, Rustichella) — the rough texture is non-negotiable for sauce grip.
Cut asparagus on a dramatic bias — looks restaurant-fancy and cooks evenly.
Cook mushrooms undisturbed first — 4 full minutes for deep golden color.
Reserve 2 full cups pasta water — starchy gold.
Add asparagus in the last 90 seconds of pasta cooking — perfect texture.
Finish with raw butter + lemon zest AFTER cheese — restaurant gloss trick.
Use a microplane for Parmesan, garlic (optional), and lemon zest — finer = faster melt.

Ingredients Notes

Fusilli: 400 g dried bronze-die — the tight curls trap sauce and asparagus tips
Cremini mushrooms: 450 g — sliced 4 mm thick for meaty bite
Asparagus: 350–400 g medium-thick spears — trimmed and cut on sharp bias into 4 cm pieces
European butter: 80 g total (82–84% fat) — depth of flavor
White wine: 150 ml dry Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
Lemon: 1 large unwaxed — zest + juice
Parmigiano Reggiano: 24-month minimum, microplaned fresh