Duck Pasta Recipe

Level up your home dining experience with this easy Duck Pasta Recipe. Savor the combination of flavorful duck meat, meaty mushrooms, and tender pappardelle pasta tossed in a creamy, brown butter herb-infused sauce! Perfect for date nights, special occasions, or holiday celebrations.

Plate of pappardelle pasta with duck and mushrooms with sage and fresh parmesan cheese on scene, with a coupe glass in the background with bright red wine.

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This sophisticated yet totally doable duck and mushroom pasta is made with luscious store bought duck confit, a mixture of specialty mushrooms, and a creamy sauce with the rich flavors of cream, browned butter, and an abundance of savory herbs.

Impress someone special with this dish! It's ideal for Valentine's Day, date night, or any special occasion or holiday. It can also be served as a main course any day of the week - this recipe makes a big batch!

Looking for more impressive dishes for celebratory meals? Try our scallops and bacon in white wine sauce, this steak and seafood skillet with creamy parmesan sauce, this hamachi crudo, or this creamy salmon pasta!

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❤️Why we love this recipe
🧄Ingredients
✨Substitutions
✨Variations
🔪Prep work
📋Instructions
✨Tips & tricks
🍝What to Serve with Duck Pasta
💭Frequently Asked Questions
More Unique Pasta Recipes To Consider
📖 Recipe
💬 Community

❤️Why we love this recipe

Gourmet but approachable. Preparing a whole duck would take a lot of time and effort, so luckily this recipe uses pre-made confit duck legs, which are much easier to handle! Aside from that there are just a few straightforward steps to take to prepare the different components of this dish.
Great way to use up leftover duck. If you have some leftover duck that you don't know what to do with after the holidays, this recipe comes in handy as the perfect way to re-invent them into something super delicious!
Something different. This is a great dish to try if you are exploring unique and less common proteins and non-traditional pasta recipes.
Incredibly flavorful. This pasta dish is full of amazing flavor! The cream sauce is a combination of herbaceous flavor, parmesan cheese, a mushroom medley, juicy duck meat, and luscious brown butter.
Restaurant quality. Serve with your favorite bold red wine or crisp white wine for a stylish, restaurant-quality dinner at home.
Adaptable for different dietary needs. Making this pasta dish dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb is easy if need be, we'll show you all the substitutions that can be made.

🧄Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

Cooking oil. While olive oil works fine for this recipe, use duck fat if you have it. This will give the pasta a richer flavor and enhances the flavor of the dish.
Confit duck legs. We used pre-made store-bought ones. You can also make duck confit at home, but this is quite a lengthy process. Confit duck legs are slow-cooked in duck fat until fall-off-the-bone tender making them perfect for this recipe. You can find them in the frozen section in many grocery stores! Make sure the defrost them fully.
Unsalted butter. We prefer to use unsalted butter so that we have more control over the salt level in this dish. We also brown the butter and it adds an intense, nutty, and luscious flavor to the pasta.
Assorted mixed mushrooms. The meaty texture of mushrooms complements the tender shreds of duck, and adds a nice earthy flavor. You can omit them if you prefer, but it's delicious and recommend using them if you have them. We used a mixture of trumpet mushrooms, and clamshell for lots of texture and flavor. You can use anything you have on hand or like.
Parmesan cheese. Make sure to great that she is yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has additives that prevent it from melting properly, and can cause it to clump up in the sauce.
Pasta. We like using very broad, flat pasta like pappardelle for this rich and creamy sauce. You can use anything you prefer!
Reserved pasta water. The key to great pasta, truly. Pasta water is gold! This helps the sauce cling to the noodles and loosen noodles after they've been sitting in the fridge.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

Use other duck meat. This recipe is a great way to use leftover duck meat you might have from another recipe if you don't want to pick up duck leg confit. Ground duck meat would also work well, and you can also use duck breast. If using duck breast, just sear it, and serve it over the pasta.
Swap the cooking liquid. If you don't have chicken stock or broth, use white wine, vegetable broth, or plain water. If you happen to have duck broth or stock on hand, definitely use that!
Cheese options. Pecorino Romano would make a good substitution if you don't have parmesan on hand.
Lighter sauce. If you like a less creamy or heavy sauce, you can use half-and-half or full-fat milk instead.
Different herbs. Swap rosemary, thyme, and sage for oregano, fresh basil, marjoram, or Italian seasoning are good options. Use your favorite herbs!
Swap the lemons. If you don't have lemons on hand, you can use fresh oranges to get some orange zest in the sauce for some great flavor.

✨Variations

Incorporate other vegetables. Carrots, spinach, or roasted cherry tomatoes may also be used to add more color, texture, and nutrition. Try mixing in our cherry tomato confit!
Add a punch of heat. If you like to add a level of fieriness, a dash of red pepper flakes, chili powder, or cayenne pepper for a kick of heat.
Low carb. Use a low carb pasta replacement or zucchini noodles in place of the pappardelle.
Gluten-free. Just find use your favorite gluten-free pasta, everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Dairy-free. Replacing butter, cream, and parmesan with dairy-free alternatives will make this dish possible for those sensitive or intolerant of dairy.

🔪Prep work

Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
Remove the herbs from the stems and mince them.
Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice.
Take the heavy cream and broth out of the fridge at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Grate the parmesan cheese.
Measure the rest of the ingredients.

📋Instructions

Reheat the Duck

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil or duck fat in a large skillet, then place the duck legs skin side down (or any leftover meat in an even layer) and cook until the skin is crispy about 5 minutes. Flip over and brown lightly. You can also follow any package instructions provided for reheating the duck meat you purchase.

Remove from the skillet, transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle strip the meat from the bones and shred, and set aside. (Image 1) You can also reheat any leftover roast duck of your choice.

Shredded and cooked duck meat on a plate.

Brown the Butter

In a separate, small light-colored saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir constantly. The butter will begin to bubble up and get foamy, and then it will stop making so much noise. (Image 2)

When the butter is a golden amber color and gives off a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a separate container. (Image 3)

Set aside to cool off while you work on the rest of the dish. Here's our step- by-step guide on how to brown butter.

Browned butter cooling in a ruffled white ramekin.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta, and cook for 1-2 minutes under the package directions to allow the pasta to continue cooking in the sauce. Set the pasta aside and be sure to reserve some pasta water for bringing the sauce together later.

Prepare the Mushrooms

In the same pan you cooked the duck in, without draining the fat, add the mushrooms in a single even layer to maximize contact with the pan. (Image 4) You may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan.

Allow the mushrooms to brown up then flip the other side, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then, add a bit of salt and pepper and stir the mixture around now that it has browned on both sides. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Don't remove the fat from the skillet! (Image 5)

Cooked mushrooms in a cast iron skillet.

✨Pro Tip: Keep moderate heat at this stage and don't move the mushrooms around too much. This will encourage the mushrooms to brown up while preventing any burning.

Make the Pasta Sauce

To the same skillet, without draining the fat, add the onions with a pinch of salt, (Image 6) and cook until mostly softened and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

Once the onion is mostly softened, add in the garlic, along with the chopped fresh herbs. (Image 7)

Raw onions in a cast iron skillet with oil.

Cooked onions in a cast iron skillet with oil, with garlic and fresh chopped herbs added.

Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and slowly stream in the chicken broth. Stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan and get all the lovely bits of flavor into the sauce. (Image 8)

Add in the heavy cream and reduce the heat to low. (Image 9)

Stir to combine, and then add in a small handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese, stirring to melt completely before adding a new handful until the cheese is completely melted. (Image 10)

Cooked onions, garlic, and herbs in a skillet with chicken broth.

Creamy pan sauce with herbs, onion, and garlic in a skillet.

✨Pro Tip: Make sure to add the cheese very slowly over low heat, and let it melt completely before adding more in. This ensures that the cheese doesn't clump up in the sauce.

Assemble the Dish

Add back the cooked mushrooms and reserved shredded meat to the skillet, and stir to warm through. (Image 11)

Then add the cooked pasta, the reserved and cooled brown butter, lemon juice and zest, plus a splash of pasta water to bring it all together. (Image 12) Gently toss to help the sauce cling to the noodles.

Duck and mushrooms added to a creamy sauce in a skillet.

Pasta added to a skillet with cold browned butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

✨Pro Tip: Add the lemon juice and zest at this stage along with the butter to help prevent the acidity from making the cheese clump up in the sauce. This also helps the lemon preserve it's bright flavor!

Plate, then garnish with fresh thyme, rosemary, parmesan, and black pepper. Enjoy!

Plate of pappardelle pasta with duck and mushrooms with sage and fresh parmesan cheese on scene.

✨Tips & tricks

Use good quality ingredients. There aren't a ton of ingredients in this recipe, so make sure they count! Use high quality extra virgin olive oil, butter, fresh herbs, garlic, lemons, and authentic parmigiano reggiano for the best flavor!
Take your time rendering out the duck fat. When reheating the duck, make sure your skillet is on a nice medium-low heat so the skin crisps up nicely. Be patient. It will take some time to render out the duck fat.
Let the duck rest. After removing the duck from the skillet, let them rest before you start shredding the meat. This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the duck moist.
Let the mushrooms brown. Don’t stir the mushrooms too much while they’re browning. Let them sit undisturbed to get a good sear, which adds depth to the flavor profile of your sauce.
Don't burn the butter! When browning the butter, keep a very close eye on it once it stops foaming, as it will brown very quickly. Here is our guide on how to brown butter.
Fresh herbs are best in this recipe. If you have to use dried herbs, remember that they’re more potent, so use them sparingly (about one-third of the amount of fresh).
Use the right pasta shape. Choose thick pasta types that can hold up to hearty sauces, such as fettuccine, pappardelle, rigatoni, or tagliatelle pasta.
Heavily salt the pasta water. This will inject a lot of flavor into the noodles.
Don't overcook the pasta. Undercook the pasta by about 2 minutes under the packet directions for al dente, the noodles will continue cooking in the sauce for the perfect al dente pasta.
Save lots of pasta water! Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need. It’s better to have too much than too little, as it’s essential for adjusting the sauce’s consistency.
Remove the pan from the heat when adding the parmesan cheese. This helps prevent the sauce from breaking and becoming grainy. Add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring to melt. The residual heat will melt the cheese, making for a smooth and creamy sauce.
Always use freshly grated parmesan for the best melt and flavor. Pre-grated cheese often contains anti-caking agents that can affect the texture of your sauce, causing it to become clumpy.
Add the lemon juice right before serving. The acidity of lemon juice can also cause the parmesan cheese to clump up, so we add it just before serving to make sure it doesn’t impact the texture of the sauce.

🍝What to Serve with Duck Pasta

If you're hosting a dinner party, a spectacular date, or are looking for more things to serve with this tasty pasta, here are a few ideas!

Appetizer. Get the party started with these marinated mozzarella balls, this whipped ricotta, and cherry tomato confit with a little bit of bread for dipping!
Salad. This spinach and arugula salad with this creamy balsamic dressing or this honey lemon dressing would be the perfect way to lighten up this hearty meal.
Bread. Bread and pasta are obviously a perfect match. Serve with a side of crusty bread, or this air fryer garlic bread.
Sides. These lemon garlic green beans or these air fryer zucchini would be the perfect light accompaniment to this dish.
Dessert. Wrap it all up with a decadent dessert! Try serving it with these red velvet brownies, these romantic white chocolate covered strawberries, or this chocolate lava mug cake that's perfect for two people to share!

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💭Frequently Asked Questions

How to store the leftovers:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat and add pasta water to help thin the sauce and loosen the noodles.

Can I use duck breast?

Sure! You will want to first sear it, cut it up, and simply serve overtop of the pasta so the method will be a little different, but you can definitely do this.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes, or at least mostly. You can prepare the components of the dish 1-2 days ahead of time. Cook and shred the duck, cook the mushrooms, prepare the sauce, then store them separately. You can just cook and assemble the pasta just before serving.

More Unique Pasta Recipes To Consider

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