“Buy 2, Get 1 Free” on 1 lb. packs of asparagus was tough for me to pass up and meant it was time to get creative. It’s a lot of spears for two people. This is the second recipe from that bounty. My first was individual frisée and asparagus salads with a poached egg (a recipe I’ve shared before). Always one to use what we have in the pantry, I found leftover chicken, lovely fresh cremini mushrooms, and dried porcini mushrooms, then got to work.

The result? Creamy without the cream. This cozy, generous pasta for two (or more) leans into deep, earthy mushroom flavor, softened with sweet asparagus, a touch of lemon, and plenty of Parmesan. The stalks turn into a silky, earthy sauce, while the tips stay bright and fresh for texture. Everything is finished with a drizzle of basil-infused olive oil that lifts the whole dish at the end.

Serves 2 generously with leftovers.

Note on color: The sauce will not be bright green. Because of the mushrooms and soaking liquid, it turns a deeper, muted green-brown tone. Let’s face it: it’s not pretty. That’s completely normal and expected. The flavor, though, becomes deeper, richer, and more complex. If you skip the dried mushrooms or omit mushrooms altogether, I believe you’ll get a beautiful spring green instead.

Note on the pasta: Pull it early because you want it very al dente, with real bite still in the center. It’s going into a warm sauce and will keep cooking there, so if it’s perfect in the pot, it’ll be overdone in the bowl. Also, most boxes call for far more water than you actually need. A large pot filled halfway is plenty for 8 oz of pasta. Save yourself the wait. I make italic notes below to show when I start my pasta water and cook the pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken thigh, shredded or sliced
• ½ cup dried porcini or wild mushrooms
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered (about 2 cups)
• ¾ lb asparagus (1 small bunch)
• 8 oz fettuccine
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 large lemon
• ½ medium shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ tbsp salted butter
• 1 tbsp avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup mushroom soaking liquid, strained
• ¾–1½ cups reserved pasta water (reserve more than you think you need)
• Basil-infused olive oil, for finishing
• Fresh basil, for serving
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder

Equipment

• Dutch oven and utensil for stirring and deglazing
• Blender
• Large pot for pasta
• Cutting board and chef’s knife
• Fine mesh strainer
• 2-cup (or larger) heat-safe measuring cup
• One plate
• Two bowls (any size — a cereal bowl and a soup bowl work perfectly)

Let’s Do This!

Mise en place: soak the mushrooms and get everything ready

Put the dried mushrooms in a heat-safe measuring cup — a 2-cup size works well — and pour over ¾ cup boiling water. Let them sit for 15–20 minutes, until soft and deeply fragrant. While they soak, prep everything so cooking feels easy later.

The lemon. Zest and juice the lemon separately — they’ll be used at different points in the recipe. Put the zest on one end of your plate and the juice in a small bowl. You’ll use half the zest now on the chicken; the other half stays on the plate for later.

The chicken. Season the cooked chicken with half the zest, black pepper, and a light pinch of garlic powder. If you like a little extra salt, this is a good place to add it. Return it to the leftover container or a Ziploc bag (one less dish). If there’s gelatin from the leftover chicken, that’s fine, as the natural flavor can only help the dish. The chicken will marinate while you cook.

The asparagus. Trim off any woody ends. Cut the tips about ½ inch below the buds and place them on the same plate as the zest. Slice the remaining stalks into ½-inch pieces and leave them on the cutting board. They don’t need to be perfect; you’re going to cook and blend them anyway. Size just speeds up cooking.

The fresh mushrooms. Brush or lightly rinse off any excess debris (shocker, but it’s okay). Quarter them and leave them on the cutting board.

The pasta pot. Fill your pasta pot with your desired amount of water and salt now. Place it on the burner, but you’ll turn it on later.

Now. You. Are. Ready.

Dry-cook and brown the mushrooms

1. Warm your empty, dry Dutch oven over medium-high heat (no oil, no butter). Add all of the cremini mushrooms. Let them sit for a minute or two until they start to release their natural juices.
2. While they sweat, deal with the rehydrated mushrooms: lift them out of the measuring cup and gently squeeze them back in to keep the liquid. Chop them roughly and set them aside. Set the fine-mesh strainer over the blender and strain the soaking liquid directly into it.
3. Keep an eye on the creminis, stirring occasionally. It’ll take about 5–8 minutes for all that mushroom water to fully evaporate. You’ll know it’s ready when the bottom of the pot is completely dry, and the mushrooms look a little toasted.
4. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the avocado oil and butter and stir to coat. Cook another 2–3 minutes until the mushrooms are beautifully golden and starting to caramelize.
5. Scoop all of the creminis out into a bowl and set them aside. Half goes back into the pot in the next step; the other half comes back at the very end.

Turn on your pasta water now.

Build the asparagus base

6. In the same pot over medium heat, add a small splash of oil if it looks dry. Add the asparagus stalks and cook until just starting to soften, about 2–3 minutes.

7. Add the shallot and rehydrated mushrooms and cook until the shallot is soft and sweet, another 2–3 minutes.

8. Add half the creminis and the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds — don’t let it burn.

9. Pour in the white wine and let it reduce by half, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Those bits are flavor.

Make the asparagus sauce

10. Transfer everything from the pot into the blender with the mushroom soaking liquid. Blend until completely smooth. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven and keep it warm over low heat.

Cook the pasta

Drop your pasta now — you want it out of the water about 6–8 minutes before you’re ready to serve. It will finish cooking in the sauce.

11. Cook pasta until very al dente, since it will finish in the sauce. Before you drain, scoop out at least 1–1½ cups of pasta water. Honestly, grab more than you think you need. Drain and set aside.

Bring it all together

12. Add the asparagus tips to the warm sauce and cook until just tender but still with a little bite — anywhere from 2–5 minutes depending on how thick and mature your spears are. Young, thin tips will go quickly; older, thicker ones need a little more time. Check them as you go.
13. Add the pasta, chicken, reserved creminis, reserved lemon juice, remaining zest, and Parmesan. Add a splash of pasta water and toss gently until the sauce becomes glossy and coats every strand, adding pasta water a little at a time until you reach a silky consistency.
14. Taste and adjust — black pepper first, then salt only if it needs it.

Serve

15. Spoon into warm bowls and finish with fresh basil, a generous drizzle of basil-infused olive oil, and a final dusting of Parmesan and black pepper. Serve immediately while everything is warm, fragrant, and cohesive.

Pairing? The earthiness of the mushrooms and the brightness of the lemon call for something that can hold its own without overwhelming the dish. We had a Hess Pinot Gris. I suggest a light, dry white such as a Vermentino, an unoaked Chardonnay, or a crisp Pinot Grigio would all be lovely here.

Happy Eating!