When I am short on time yet want to make a tasty, delicious meal, I turn to my repertoire of easy, quick delicious meals. Pasta is a go-to for me since I am of Italian heritage. My mother made fabulous meals every night for our family, and I was fortunate to have her as my gold standard.

When I cook, I remember sitting on the kitchen countertop as my mother worked her magic with a recipe. A pinch of this, a dash of that, combined with a few other ingredients, and she created a special dinner for her family.

My mother didn’t write her recipes down because when she cooked, it was a new adventure for her; she never made the recipe the same!

I inherited my love of cooking from my mother. And I get lost in the kitchen creating new recipes from old favorites, experimenting with different flavors and combinations. Every recipe isn’t a success; I’ve failed many times. With each failure, I’ve learned so much from the mistakes.

Have fun, experiment, add your spin when you cook!

Enjoy!

1 package(9 oz.) Buitoni fresh Linguine

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 pound porcini or baby portobello mushrooms halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (smaller mushrooms can be left halved)

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 heavy cream

1-ounce Pecorino Romano, finely grated (2/3 cup)

Porcini Butter Sauce
Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium. Add oil, butter, and garlic. When butter melts and garlic sizzles, add mushrooms; season with salt. Cook, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are tender and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more. Add cream and stir until combined.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain. Add pasta water to the skillet with mushrooms. Bring it to a simmer, stirring until half evaporated. Add cream, stirring until combined, coating the mushrooms.

Toss over pasta. Add half of the cheese, tossing to combine. Serve topped with remaining cheese, pepper flakes, and a drizzle of oil.

Enjoy!