Silky Mushroom, Parmesan & Truffle Sauce
A rich, glossy mushroom sauce made with finely blitzed mushrooms, parmesan, pasta water, truffle and lemon zest. Earthy, savoury and deeply comforting, with just enough brightness to stop it feeling heavy.
About this sauce
This is not a cream-based mushroom sauce. The richness comes from cooking the mushrooms down properly, then using parmesan and starchy pasta water to turn everything into a silky sauce that clings to the pasta.
The truffle adds depth, while the lemon zest lifts the whole dish. It should taste earthy, savoury and rounded, not heavy or flat.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large frying pan
- Large saucepan for pasta
- Fine grater
- Tongs or a pasta spoon
Ingredients
- 350–400g mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 25g butter
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
- 320g pasta
- 70g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tsp truffle paste, or a small drizzle of truffle oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- A few drops of lemon juice, optional
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Pasta cooking water, as needed
Method
- Blitz the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. You want the mushrooms very small, almost like a coarse paste, but not completely smooth.
- Start the sauce base. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 2–3 minutes, until softened.
- Cook the mushrooms properly. Add the blitzed mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their water, darken in colour and become concentrated and savoury.
- Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until just al dente. Before draining, reserve a large mug of pasta cooking water.
- Bring the pasta and sauce together. Add the cooked pasta to the mushroom pan with a splash of pasta water. Toss over medium-low heat until the mushroom mixture starts coating the pasta.
- Emulsify with parmesan. Add the parmesan gradually, tossing constantly and adding more pasta water as needed. The sauce should become glossy, loose and silky, not dry or clumpy.
- Finish with truffle and lemon. Stir through the truffle paste or add a small drizzle of truffle oil. Add the lemon zest, black pepper and a few drops of lemon juice if needed.
- Serve straight away. Finish with extra parmesan, black pepper and a little more lemon zest.
Serve it with
This sauce is beautiful with tagliatelle, pappardelle, rigatoni or fresh egg pasta. It also works well with ricotta-filled ravioli, where the mushroom, parmesan and truffle make the dish feel rich without needing cream.
Notes
- Use a mix of mushrooms if you can. Chestnut mushrooms are reliable, but a few wild mushrooms will make the sauce deeper.
- Add the parmesan gradually and avoid very high heat, otherwise the cheese can become grainy.
- Truffle is strong, so start small. The sauce should taste like mushrooms first, with truffle in the background.
- Use mostly lemon zest. Lemon juice should be added carefully, just to brighten the sauce.
- If the sauce becomes too thick, add more pasta water and toss again until glossy.
Allergens
Contains milk. May contain gluten depending on the pasta used.