We shared photos of this fettuccine with porcini mushrooms on social media and our inbox imploded. Everyone wanted the recipe. Here it is.
This is a white sauce pasta — no cream, no tomato. Just butter, olive oil, garlic, porcini, and pasta water. Simple, deeply savory, and one we come back to every few weeks regardless of the time of year.
How to Find Good Porcini
Porcini can be hit or miss. They range from very strong to quite delicate, and that difference completely changes the depth of flavor in the dish. Here is what to look for.
We buy them fresh in the fall when they are in season, and dried a little later. We do not have a favorite brand, but we stick to porcini from places we know or from a local Italian market. Check the back of the label for country of origin.
If porcini are out of season or out of budget, fresh chanterelles make an excellent substitute. Your local high-end grocery store often carries packs of mixed fungi too, which are great to experiment with in pasta.
Fresh Porcini
We are a short drive from the Sila national park in Calabria — a mountainous region with extraordinary fungi. The porcini there are truly out of this world.
Mushroom foraging is a serious pastime in Italy. Giuseppe's parents are experts. On a good day we leave the mountains with a huge basket of fresh porcini. On a less lucky day, we stop by the unofficial local forager's house — he always seems to have something fresh and delicious for us.
Fresh porcini are enormous. They can weigh up to 1kg and be as big as your head. They are meaty, deeply flavored, and unlike anything else. We wash, cut, and freeze them to enjoy throughout the year.
Dried Porcini
We usually use dried porcini for risotto and baked dishes, and fresh for pasta because of the texture. But if you only have dried, use them — this recipe will still be delicious, just slightly different in texture.
Dried porcini also give you a bonus: the soaking liquid. Save it. You can add it to the pasta water for extra depth of flavor.
Soak dried porcini long enough — rushing the soaking process creates uneven texture and chewy pieces. The longer they soak, the more concentrated and flavorful the liquid becomes.
Related: How to Rehydrate Mushrooms
How to Cook Porcini
The most important rule: do not overcook the porcini. Overcooked mushrooms turn chewy and lose their delicate flavor. Three minutes over high heat is all they need.
Add extra virgin olive oil, butter, and garlic to a medium-large pan over low heat. Once the garlic is golden, remove it. Add the mushrooms and increase heat to high. Cook for three minutes, stirring regularly. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Remove from heat and add finely chopped parsley. The sauce is done.
A Note on Butter and Cream
This is the first pasta recipe we have shared that calls for butter. In southern Italy, butter is rare — most people do not use it even for baking. But as the wonderful Elizabeth Minchilli says, we are "equal opportunity fat consumers." So yes, we use butter here.
Other similar recipes call for cream. Do not do it. Cream drowns the porcini and kills their delicate flavor. Let the mushrooms have their moment.
How to Make Fettuccine with Porcini Mushrooms
Do not discard the mushroom soaking liquid or pasta water. Both are useful.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cut the mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Heat a medium-large pan over medium heat and add olive oil, butter, and garlic.
When the garlic is golden, remove it. Add the mushrooms, increase heat, and cook for three minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the fettuccine to the boiling water. Fettuccine cook fast — stay close. When the pasta is almost done, add it directly to the pan. Add pasta water as needed and stir continuously. Remove from heat, add cheese, and plate immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried porcini instead of fresh?
Yes. Dried porcini work well in this recipe. The texture will be slightly different from fresh, but the flavor is still excellent. Soak them fully before using and save the soaking liquid to add to the pasta water for extra depth.
What can I substitute for porcini mushrooms?
Fresh chanterelles are the best substitute — they are available for much of the year and have a similar earthy, meaty quality. A pack of mixed wild mushrooms also works well. Cremini or shiitake can work in a pinch but have less complexity.
Why no cream in this recipe?
Cream overpowers the delicate flavor of porcini. The sauce here relies on pasta water, butter, olive oil, and the mushroom's natural juices to come together. It is lighter, more balanced, and lets the porcini be the star.
What pasta works best with porcini mushrooms?
Fettuccine is ideal — its flat, wide surface holds the sauce well. Tagliatelle is an equally good substitute. Avoid thin pasta like spaghetti or angel hair, which does not hold up as well to the meaty texture of the mushrooms.
What olive oil should I use for this recipe?
Use a good extra virgin olive oil. A Calabrian EVOO with fruity, rounded notes pairs beautifully with mushrooms and adds depth without overpowering the dish.
We wrote a book called The Olive Oil Enthusiast. Order your copy today.
Every recipe in our kitchen starts with our family's extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed from groves along the Ionian coast of Calabria that have been in Giuseppe's family since 1927. It is what we use every day — and it makes a genuine difference in dishes like this one. Shop our olive oil here.
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Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil (Aglio e Olio)
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out. Tag us on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook and use #EXAUoliveoil so we can repost.
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