Description
A quick and elegant pasta dish featuring earthy morel mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter, ready in just 20 minutes. Perfect for a cozy weeknight meal with minimal ingredients and maximum flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh morel mushrooms or ¼ cup dried morels (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes if dried)
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
- 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 30g)
- ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine (optional)
- ½ cup (120ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 8 oz (225g) pasta (fettuccine, tagliatelle, spaghetti, or linguine)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- If using dried morels, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain (reserve soaking liquid if desired). Mince garlic, finely chop shallot, and roughly chop parsley. Grate Parmesan if using.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes depending on pasta shape. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
- Add morel mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes until tender and golden on edges.
- Push mushrooms to the side of the skillet and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- Pour in white wine and vegetable broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Add drained pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the noodles.
- Stir in chopped parsley and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Plate pasta and sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan and extra parsley if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Use fresh garlic generously for best flavor. Avoid burning garlic by cooking it over medium-low heat for about 1 minute. Save pasta water to loosen sauce and help it cling to noodles. If skipping white wine, substitute with extra broth or reserved soaking liquid from dried morels. For richer sauce, swirl in 1 tablespoon cold butter before serving. Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days; reheat gently with added liquid to restore creaminess. Not recommended to freeze due to sauce texture changes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4
- Calories: 410
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 48
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 12
Keywords: morel mushroom pasta, garlic butter pasta, easy pasta recipe, quick dinner, mushroom pasta, spring recipe, vegetarian pasta