Creamy chestnut mushroom, spinach & lemon linguine
Quick, creamy chestnut mushroom, spinach and lemon linguine — ready in 25 minutes. Bright, comforting and perfect for busy weeknights.
This is the sort of pasta that makes midweek cooking feel like a treat: quick, simple and unpretentious. Chestnut mushrooms give a meaty depth, spinach keeps it bright and lemon lifts the cream so it never feels cloying.
Ready in about 25 minutes from hob to plate, it’s a brilliant go-to when you want something cosy without faff. Serve with a simple salad or crusty bread if you like.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried linguine
- 400 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 1 brown onion — finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 30 ml olive oil
- 25 g butter
- 15 ml plain flour
- 150 ml double cream
- 200 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 1 lemon — zest and 15 ml juice
- 150 g baby spinach
- 50 g vegetarian hard cheese — grated
- salt and black pepper — to taste
- 15 g fresh parsley — chopped, to garnish
Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, then the dried linguine. Cook for 9 minutes until just al dente, then reserve 150 ml of the cooking water and drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and sweat for 4 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Turn up the heat slightly and add the chestnut mushrooms. Cook without stirring too often for 7 minutes, until they are golden and most moisture has evaporated.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Sprinkle over the plain flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to remove the raw flour taste.
Gradually pour in the hot vegetable stock, stirring to make a smooth sauce. Add the double cream and lemon zest and juice, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened.
Add the drained linguine to the pan with the baby spinach and grated vegetarian hard cheese. Toss over low heat for 1–2 minutes so the spinach wilts and the cheese melts; add reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce until silky.
Check seasoning and divide between bowls. Finish with a crack of black pepper, a scatter of fresh parsley and extra grated vegetarian hard cheese if you like.
Tips
- For best mushroom colour, don’t overcrowd the frying pan — brown in batches if needed.
- If you must save time, slice the onion and mushrooms the night before and keep chilled.
- Leftovers store in the fridge for up to 2 days; add a splash of milk or reserved pasta water when reheating to revive the sauce.
- If the sauce looks too thick, stir in reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until silky.
- Grate cheese fresh for the best melt and flavour — pre-grated can be drier and less creamy.
Substitutions
dried linguine → dried tagliatelle or spaghetti, same quantity (400 g)
Stays closedouble cream → single cream, same quantity (150 ml) — richer texture will be reduced and sauce may be looser
Noticeably differentvegetarian hard cheese → Parmesan-style vegetarian alternative or pecorino (if not vegetarian) 50 g, grated
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 730
- Calories
- 22 g
- Protein
- 79 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes — use 400 g gluten-free dried pasta and check the plain flour is gluten-free (or use 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with a little water as a substitute).
How can I prevent the cream from splitting?
Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer, not a vigorous boil, and stir constantly once the cream is added. Adding a splash of hot stock/pasta water while stirring also helps stabilise the sauce.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
You can make the mushroom-cream sauce up to a day ahead and chill. Reheat gently with a little stock or pasta water and finish with freshly cooked pasta.
What other vegetables work in this dish?
Tenderstem broccoli, peas or courgette ribbons tossed in at the same time as spinach work well — adjust quantities so the pan doesn’t become overcrowded.
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