Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Cremini Mushrooms in Truffle Butter Sauce

A couple months ago I bought myself a very indulgent gift: White Truffle oil. Truffles are a foodie’s diamond and ever since falling head-over-heels in love with the Truffle Fries at The Burger Stand in Lawrence, I knew I had to cook with truffle flavor. As you may know, though, truffles are rather hard to come by, especially in Kansas. So thanks to some food scientist somewhere, regular folks like me can buy a $15 bottle of infused White Truffle Oil and get at least a little slice of the unctuous, earthy flavors of the coveted truffle.

Tonight I combined cremini mushrooms (baby portobellos), onions, garlic, and parsley with whole-wheat thin spaghetti, melted some butter on it and doused it with a bit of truffle oil as a final touch. I served it with a simple side salad of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and red pepper along with a store-bought champagne grape vinaigrette. It turned out to be a simple yet deliciously satisfying meal full of earthy and aromatic flavors. Though the star ingredient, the truffle oil, is the most expensive item on the ingredient list, a little of it goes a long way and the bottle should last you quite a while. If you’re not into splurging on expensive oils, a good olive oil would do fine as a substitute, but I can’t stress enough just how much the truffle oil adds to this dish.

Recipe (serves 2 hungry adults):

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-7 medium cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1-2 tblsp. olive oil
• 4oz. Whole-Wheat Thin Spaghetti
• 1 tblsp. butter
• 1 tblsp. white truffle oil
• 2 tblsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. In a large saucepan, bring water to boil for pasta.
2. While water is heating: prep onion, garlic, mushrooms, and parsley. Measure out dried pasta
3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add onions and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and slightly browned and garlic is fragrant.
4. Add pasta to boiling water.
5. Add mushrooms to onion and garlic mixture and sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Drain pasta, then transfer drained pasta back to saucepan.
7. Add mushrooms, garlic, and onion mixture to pasta along with the butter, parsley, and truffle oil.
8. Stir frequently but gently to prevent pasta from sticking to pan until butter is melted and the dish is well coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.

I hope you work a little extra cash into your grocery budget sometime to get a bottle of truffle oil. Like I said earlier, a little goes a long way in any dish and it is a very versatile ingredient. Bon appétit!