Instructions

1. Prep veggies: Rinse 8 oz mushrooms in cold water (no need to pat them dry). Slice mushrooms. Thinly slice the white and light green parts of 2 scallions (for cooking). Then, mince the dark green part of the scallions and set aside (for finishing).

2. Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, drain noodles.

3. Meanwhile, sear mushrooms: Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high heat. (It’s hot enough when you flick water on the pan and large droplets bounce and skid around). Scatter mushrooms in skillet. Cook, stirring infrequently, until water has evaporated and mushrooms are brown on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking mushrooms for about 1 minute while the skillet cools slightly.

4. Build sauce: Push mushrooms to the edges of the skillet. In the middle of the skillet, add 3 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, and the white/light green parts of the scallion. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then stir to coat mushrooms in butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is pale golden (avoid burning), 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons white miso, 2 teaspoons sriracha, and ⅔ cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. (Save remaining pasta water for finishing step). Whisk until the miso evenly mixed into a smooth sauce.

5. Finish: Add cooked pasta to the skillet, toss until well coated. Scatter in ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese and the minced dark green part of the scallions. Toss again, adding splashes of extra pasta water if/as needed, until the noodles are coated in a silky sauce. Finish with black pepper and more Parmesan cheese, to taste.

Notes:

Mushrooms: We recommend a mix of cremini, shiitake, and/or a wild mushrooms. But use your favorites. This recipe calls for “dry sauteing” mushrooms in a really hot pan without any oil. This method quickly draws out moisture from the mushrooms (including residual water from rinsing) and browns them—before adding the oil. High heat is important, so it’s best to use a stainless steel skillet.

Butter: Unsalted butter is recommended, but store-bought salted butter should work too. Just avoid a butter that’s super salty since this recipe has other salty ingredients (miso, cheese). Use a vegan butter substitute if needed.

White miso: Also known as Shiro Miso. This is the lightest and mildest variety of miso. And, typically the easiest to find in conventional grocery stores.

Parmesan: ¼ cup of finely grated powdery Parmesan weighs 1 oz. To quickly grate Parmesan into a “powder”, add chunks of cheese to a food processor or blender. If using a microplane, you’ll need closer to ½ cup to get the same 1 oz weight because it yields lighter, fluffier shreds. If you need vegetarian-friendly Parmesan, look for one made with “microbial enzymes” rather than “rennet”. Alternatively, Parmesan can be substituted for another Italian hard cheese, such as Asiago.

Prepared 2025-06-25: double the mushrooms, & scallions