This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
This mushroom pasta with goat cheese, fresh herbs and lemon is a quick and easy dinner recipe tastes like it took all day to make.
There are recipes that taste good…and then there are recipes that taste amazing. And sometimes, that amazing flavor doesn’t take much effort at all. Such is the case with this mushroom pasta with goat cheese! It is so seriously good, it’s one of my favorite things that has come out of our kitchen. It pairs savory mushrooms with bright lemon, creamy goat cheese, and fresh thyme and oregano. And it’s done in less than 30 minutes. Boom! Mushroom lovers: you’re not going to know what to do with yourself.
Related: Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Lives
Is it really the best mushroom pasta?
Well, we think so! This recipe was inspired by a mushroom pasta that I had at a restaurant. But here, Alex and I decided to add soft goat cheese, lots of fresh herbs, leafy greens, and a hit of lemon. And the result was pretty perfect. The pasta is smothered with creamy goat cheese, the mixed mushrooms are sauteed with fresh thyme and oregano until they’re super savory, and there’s a pop of fresh lemon to round it off.
Oh and we threw in some nutrient dense leafy greens. It takes only 25 minutes to put together, making it of our favorite quick and easy dinner ideas. And at the rate we hear rave reviews from readers, it’s one of our best vegetarian recipes to date.
Tips on how to make mushroom pasta
Here are a few notes on how to perfectly season this mushroom pasta with goat cheese:
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. To cook pasta properly, you have to salt the water: A LOT. You can dump about 1 tablespoon kosher salt into the water. Don’t worry, the pasta will only absorb a small bit of that amount of salt. And it will be perfectly salted.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. This is where a lot of people trip up and over cooking pasta! To cook the farfalle for this mushroom pasta to al dente, start checking the pasta a few minutes before the timing indicated on the pasta box and taste it. Cook until it is tender but still a little firm on the inside. Al dente is so much better than mushy pasta: it’s worth getting it just right.
- Salt to taste. This is the crucial final step. The dish should be well salted to bring out the flavor, but not overly salty. Since the recipe calls to salt the pasta water, mushrooms, and greens separately, you may not have to add much in your final taste.
How to make it a meal!
This pasta recipe is for 8 ounces of pasta, which we’ve noted as 4 servings. They’re modest servings, so we’d recommend serving with a green salad with some veggie protein (nuts, seeds, etc). Usually Alex and I throw together greens and some of our favorite homemade salad dressings, like Best Balsamic or Healthy Ranch. Our Arugula Salad or Chopped Salad would be lovely to pair.
Whatever your choose, this mushroom pasta with goat cheese is a delicious dinner: it was even a big win with our toddler Larson! It’s one of our favorite mushroom recipes, hands down.
Is pasta healthy?
Have you been avoiding pasta because it’s not typically considered healthy? Good news: a new study found pasta can actually help you lose weight. The Italian researchers found that eaten in moderation, pasta can be part of a healthy diet. This is a full 180 of conventional wisdom, right? Alex and I have been enjoying pasta in moderation for years—so we’re glad it’s back in good graces! And this mushroom pasta is the perfect way to enjoy it.
This mushroom pasta recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Mushroom Pasta with Goat Cheese
This mushroom pasta with fresh herbs, goat cheese and lemon is a quick and easy dinner recipe tastes like it took all day to make.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta (farfalle)*
- 8 ounces mixed mushrooms (such as baby bella aka cremini, button, shiitake, and oyster)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh thyme and oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups baby greens: baby kale or spinach
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated**
- 3 to 4 ounces soft goat cheese***
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water until al dente. Pro tip: Set the timer for a few minutes less than the package instructions and then taste: the pasta should be just done, still with some firmness. The pasta should also taste salty from the salted water. Drain the pasta and save out ¼ cup pasta water.
- Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms, then slice them. Chop the herbs.
- In a saute pan or skillet, heat the olive oil to medium high heat and cook the herbs, mushrooms, and several pinches of kosher salt together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When mushrooms are cooked and tender, reduce heat to low, add lemon juice, greens and few more pinches of kosher salt. Cook for about 2 minutes until greens are wilted but bright green. Add the Parmesan cheese and pasta water and stir until cheese is melted.
- Add the drained pasta into the mushrooms. Add fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste. Use your fingers to break off crumbles of the goat cheese and add it to the pasta; stir them in if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
*This amount of pasta makes a moderate serving size. If you have super hungry eaters, make more or make sure to add some filling side dishes.
**Fresh grating from a large block of Parmesan cheese is best; sometimes pre-grated or pre-shredded Parmesan cheese includes stabilizers that can cause the cheese to stick together and become gummy.
***Buy the soft goat cheese log here, not the packaged goat cheese crumbles (these have a firmer texture).
Looking for easy dinner recipes?
Outside of this mushroom pasta, here are some of our favorite easy dinner recipes:
- 5 Minute Seared Tuna Recipe
- White Wine Sauce or Parmesan Cream Sauce Pasta
- Coleslaw & Swiss Melt Sandwich
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Loaded Quinoa Tacos
- Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes
- Jackfruit Tacos
- Cacio e Pepe
- Best Stir Fry Vegetables with Teriyaki
- Seared Salmon Poke Bowl
- Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry
- Quick Coconut Lentil Curry
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce
- Quick Cuban Black Beans
- Gemelli Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- Crispy Cauliflower Tacos with Yum Yum Sauce
- Stovetop White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Easy Pasta Puttanesca
- Orecchiette Pasta with Tomatoes
- Vegan Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
- Vegetarian Gumbo
- Related: Best Goat Cheese Recipes
Last updated: January 2020
This was absolutely delicious!! I had a bit of fresh thyme, but used dried oregano with the rest of the thyme (halving the amounts) dried as well, and it turned out perfectly!! Being pasta lovers, this will be added to the go-to list!!
Made this for dinner last night. Absolutely delicious! I made mine with lemon thyme, basil, and parsley as that’s what I had in the garden. Loved how easy and fast this recipe was to make. I used black oyster mushrooms along with cremini.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Your mushroom and goat cheese pasta recipe caught my eye because mushrooms are an excellent source of Vitamin D. But as I read your instructions, they are dominated by salting every step from the boiling water to cook the pasta to the mushrooms, vegetables, herbs and the final mixture of all ingredients. Ironically, your nutrition facts omitted the sodium count. American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg. of sodium daily, but ideally advises adults, and particularly those with heart disease or high blood to use no more than 1,500 mg. per day. Even your toddler’s sodium intake should be limited to 1,200 mg. daily. With your tremendous enthusiasm for creative cooking, I urge you to offer more recipes that are healthy as well as delicious. Watching the sodium levels would be a good start.
Tried this for the first time tonight and it was so delicious. Will definitely make it again soon. Thank you.
The combination of flavors is great, and I was able to use garden herbs and spinach. But when I added the Parmesan, it just clumped up around the greens and didn’t melt into the dish. So disappointing! Why would that happen?
Hi! Sometimes this happens with pre-shredded Parmesan. You’ll get better results to grate it yourself.
Great recipe thanks!
I made this and it came out well! I subbed the oregano for basil because that’s what I had on hand. I think pine nuts would be an excellent addition next time :)
Made this tonight and used a few handfuls of shimeji mushrooms! Turned out fantastic with kale (and a little extra parm). Great recipe! :)
Unbelievable!! I added a sweet onion and chicken. It was incredible the mushroom goat cheese combo is next level. I can’t wait to make it again!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Flavors are terrific! Since we LOVE mushrooms, I followed your Sauteed Mushrooms recipe, using a full pound of baby bella ‘shrooms, with 1/3 cup fresh herbs. Then I switched back to the proportions in this recipe, using one juiced lemon (at hubby’s request). Another change was that for the pasta I used one package of Pasta Zero shirataki noodles to reduce carbs. These require thorough draining and rinsing, boiling and draining, and then adding to this flavorful sauce! My mushrooms & spinach cooked down with a lot of water remaining, so I didn’t need the pasta water. The parmesan and goat cheese added such lovely creaminess and flavor!
Fantastic recipe – the lemon brightens up the dish and I used a mild, plain goat cheese, which made the flavor and texture purely dreamy. I made some variations, added shallots with the mushrooms, topped it with some parsley and a little prosciutto and used gamelli pasta, but used the basic recipe. So Good -Thank you!!
So good!!! Your recipes are seriously all I ever use! My kids aren’t huge fans of goat cheese, so I googled a quick substitute, and low-and-behold, your website popped up again for great substitutes for goat cheese!! :) Is there anything you can’t help me with?!? :) Thanks for all that you do!
This was so delicious and easy!
This pasta is AMAZING! I am dairy sensitive so I replaced the Parmesan with dairy free mozzarella cheese and I also used gluten free chickpea noodles instead of the bow tie pasta because I am allergic to gluten. The end result was great even with a slight change in ingredients! Oh and I used portobello mushrooms instead of the others because I had some leftover! This is probably my favorite pasta dish!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was fantastic. I doubled the lemon (because I LOVE fresh lemon juice), and it was so delicious! The whole family enjoyed it – even the kale 😁 Thank you!
This was so yummy!! The goat cheese makes an amazing “sauce.” The Parmesan melted and clumped together when I added it to the water, so I think next time I’d save it to sprinkle on top. I would also double the mushrooms because I can never get enough mushrooms!
You had me at goat cheese and lemon. This dish looks AHmazingly beautiful. I have this terrible habit of getting overly excited when draining the pasta and forgetting to set aside the pasta water. Do you have any tips for a substitution if I do that?
Also, I love your suggestion of an arugula salad to go with this. Dang it. Now, I am starvation.
Great question! We’ve had the same thing happen, too! Here’s an idea: Milk Street recommends using cornstarch in water — go here for instructions. We haven’t tried it, but sounds like it could work! Let us know if you try. Thanks for the comment!
This is a great recipe. I am pregnant and very hungry all the time, so I was afraid of being disappointed if I made this and it didn’t come out good. Well, I was not disappointed! This recipe came out very tasty and it was very easy to make.
So glad you enjoyed! :)
Only changes I made: cooked the mushrooms alone on high until browned, reduced heat to med-high, added garlic and fresh herbs. I also used heavy whipping cream instead of pasta water. The recipe is so delicious, it was quick and easy – thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious meal. Added garlic as well as sliced chicken thighs.
This is a definite repeat!
Have made this recipe several times and it’s a real treat. Wanted it for tonight’s dinner but the market was out of goat cheese. On a whim, I bought some good blue cheese and used that instead. Left out the thyme and used parsley and oregano. Not as creamy as the goat cheese version but still delivered a lot of flavor and gave us the “fine dining” vibes. Thank you for the good bones of this recipe!
We scaled this recipe up to serve six by using a whole box (12 oz) of farfalle and adjusting everything else accordingly. It was a hit! Definitely agree with laying the goat cheese on top at the end and serving in the pan you sautéed the mushrooms in. One less dish to wash and keeps everything hot at the table. We also added sliced chicken breast on the side (I know….) to make it a little more filling for the omnivores at the table.
I just found this sight and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with The Washington Post. I was so happy to see that you were providing nutritional information (my husband has a strict sodium level) but I was so disappointed that you didn’t include the sodium levels. Please do so in the future. Your recipes sound like something I have been looking for and I’m going to start trying some of them soon.
WOW!! This was incredible and came together so quick! I added fresh rosemary from our garden and minced garlic. Yum!!!
This was absolutely delicious! I halved the recipe for the two of us. My husband loved it and wants to have it again. It was a perfect lunch with a green salad, very satisfying. The only advice I would offer others would be to reserve “extra” pasta juice in case your pasta mixture is a little dry, then you can add extra as needed. Thank you for this recipe!
I don’t normally comment, but this was SO delicious and easy to make. Will definitely make again! Sign me up for anything with goat cheese, yum!
We are SO happy to hear this! Yes, all the goat cheese, right?! Thanks for making it!
This pasta was, in a word, “A W E S O M E”. It was so good, my husband had me make it again the next night! It’s so flavorful and delicious and super quick! Be sure to give this one a try, it’s a keeper!
Oh my goodness, we are so glad to hear it! Thank you so much for trying it out! :)
I read the ingredient list as 1/4 cup oregano/thyme TOTAL, not each. Is that correct? Thank you!
Yes! Any combination will of them will work :)
We made this last night and the 1/4 cup of the spices was a little too much for us. Would half that next time.
substitute for goat cheese? Not a fan
You could add some dollops of cream cheese for creaminess — or you could try feta crumbles (it just wouldn’t be creamy but would taste delicious)!
I AM GOING TO GIVE THIS A TRY. IF MADE THE NIGHT BEFORE, OR EARLY, CAN THIS BE REHEATED AFFECTIVELY?
ELLICE
The flavor would dull a little bit with the fresh herbs and lemons if you reheat it. I’d recommend just making the pasta ahead and then doing the rest of the recipe the day you’re planning on eating it!
Can I use half and half cream instead of pasta water to make the pasta creamier?
Yes, that would work!
Just have to tell you that your vegetarian recipes have been my all time favorites! I am such a fan! You have never disappointed when I am looking for a great and easy vegetarian recipe for dinner. Will try this pasta tonight. Thank you!! Love your recipes!! Going to ask for your cookbook this Xmas!!!! 😄
So glad to hear that! Thank you :)