Creamy Brown Butter Mushroom Pasta (Printable)
Fettuccine with caramelized mushrooms in a rich brown butter cream sauce, topped with parmesan and fresh herbs.
# Ingredient List:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz fettuccine or linguine
→ Mushrooms
02 - 14 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
→ Brown Butter Cream Sauce
05 - 5 tbsp unsalted butter
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
08 - 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 - Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
→ Finishing Touches
11 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chives
12 - Additional grated Parmesan, for serving
# Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in an even layer and sauté without stirring for the first 3 minutes to develop color. Continue cooking for 7-8 minutes total until deeply golden and all released moisture has evaporated. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 5 tbsp butter to the same skillet. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams, then turns a warm golden brown and releases a toasted, nutty aroma, about 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
04 - Add the minced garlic to the browned butter and sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and softened.
05 - Pour in the heavy cream and whisk to combine, scraping up any golden-brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer gently for 2-3 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon and has slightly reduced.
06 - Stir in the grated Parmesan until melted and smooth. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg if using. Return the sautéed mushrooms to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce.
07 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and gently toss until every strand is evenly coated in the sauce. If the sauce feels too thick, loosen it with small splashes of the reserved pasta water until you reach a silky, coating consistency.
08 - Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed. Remove from the heat, sprinkle generously with chopped fresh parsley or chives, and serve immediately with extra Parmesan on the side.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Brown butter transforms simple ingredients into something that tastes like you spent hours when you barely spent forty minutes.
- The sauce clings to every strand of pasta like it was meant to be there, no fussing required.
02 -
- Mushrooms release a surprising amount of water when they first hit the pan, so do not rush this step or you will end up steaming them instead of getting that gorgeous caramelized sear.
- Brown butter can go from perfectly nutty to burnt in under thirty seconds, so once the foam starts to thin and you see golden flecks forming at the bottom, pull it off the heat if you need a moment.
03 -
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need because that starchy liquid is the difference between a sauce that clings and one that pools at the bottom of the bowl.
- Grate your parmesan from a wedge right before using it, since pre grated cheese is coated in cellulose that prevents it from melting smoothly into the sauce.