Creamy Mushroom Pasta

A rich and comforting meat-free dinner of creamy pasta with lots of mushrooms. The sauce is luscious and thick, with a good sprinkling of parmesan (I’ve got an alternative for vegetarians), so it clings to the pasta beautifully.
This creamy mushroom pasta is ready in 15 minutes, so it makes a great weeknight dinner when you need food fast!

If you’re craving something rich and creamy, and more importantly, fast, for supper, this is the dish for you.

I love a good creamy pasta sauce and the addition of mushrooms and garlic make this my perfect weeknight indulgence, and it’s on the table in fifteen minutes.

I’m the only mushroom lover in our family, so it’s nice to have an easy mushroom dish that I can whip up when Chris and the kids are having something else (usually something I’m not overly fussed about – like pizza (I know, shock horror!!)).
Alternatively, I’ll make this for the whole family, but try to get most of the mushrooms on my plate, then I’ll throw in some crispy bacon and peas, so everyone can enjoy it.

📋 What do we need?

• Pasta – use your favourite pasta. Long pasta, such as tagliatelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, bucatini, linguine and pappardelle work particularly well with creamy sauces, but you can use short pasta shapes if you prefer. I’m using thin egg fettuccine in this recipe.
• Mushrooms – I use chestnut mushrooms, but you can swap out for your favourites. Baby portobello, cremini, button and white mushrooms all work great, but you could go exotic with chanterelle, shiitake or oyster mushrooms too if you like (or use a mixture of a few!).

👩‍🍳PRO TIP Be sure to save some of the water from cooking the pasta. You can add in splashes to loosen up the sauce if you want it to go further. The starchiness from this water (rather than plain water) helps to keep the sauce rich and thick and will help it cling to the pasta.

How to make it vegetarian

• Cheese: Did you know that Parmesan isn’t vegetarian? Parmesan cheese uses animal rennet. If you want a vegetarian alternative, use vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, or you could simply replace with a vegetarian strong cheddar.
• Stock: Simply replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. You can add a splash of wine in too if you want to add an extra flavour kick.
• Also, if you don’t eat eggs, then most dried pasta (except those that are labelled ‘egg pasta’) is egg-free (always check the label to be sure). Fresh pasta often contains eggs, so dried is usually the way to go.

I can eat this by the (big) bowlful, creamy, delicious and super quick to make, just the thing for tonight’s dinner, so what are you waiting for?

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5 from 8 votes

Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe

By Nicky Corbishley

A rich and comforting meat-free dinner of creamy pasta with lots of mushrooms. Ready in 15 minutes, so it's perfect for busy weeknights.

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American-Italian, British-Italian

Ingredients

• ▢ 300 g (10.5 oz) tagliatelle or fettuccine I used thin egg fettucine for my version
• ▢ 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• ▢ 1 small onion peeled and chopped finely
• ▢ 400 g (14 oz) chestnut mushrooms thickly sliced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp pepper
• ▢ 180 ml (3/4 cup) strong chicken stock if you haven’t got homemade, water plus 2 stock cubes is fine, use vegetable stock for vegetarian
• ▢ 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
• ▢ 50 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese use vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese for a vegetarian version

To Serve:

• ▢ small bunch fresh curly parsley finely chopped
• ▢ black pepper
• ▢ grated parmesan use vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese for a vegetarian version

Instructions 

• Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions, then drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
  300 g (10.5 oz) tagliatelle or fettuccine
• Whilst the pasta is cooking, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium heat.
  3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter, 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• When the butter has melted, add the chopped onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are just starting to soften.
  1 small onion
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan with the onions and melt.
• Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until lightly softened.
  400 g (14 oz) chestnut mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
• Stir in the stock and cream and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
  180 ml (3/4 cup) strong chicken stock, 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
• By now your pasta should be ready. Add the pasta to the pan, then sprinkle over the parmesan.
  50 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese
• Use a set of tongs to lift and drop the pasta in the mushroom sauce, until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce.
• If you would like to loosen up the sauce a little, add in splashes of the reserved pasta water, until the sauce consistency is to your liking.
• Divide between bowls and top with chopped parsley and an extra sprinkling of black pepper and grated parmesan.
  small bunch fresh curly parsley, black pepper, grated parmesan

Video

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Pasta dishes like these are usually best served straight away. However, if you have leftovers, you can cool, cover and refrigerate right away. It should keep well in the fridge for up to two days.

Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times whilst reheating.
You may want to add a splash of water, stock and/or cream to loosen up the pasta, as the pasta will absorb more sauce during storage and reheating.

Can I freeze it?

No, I don’t recommend freezing this dish.

Ingredient swaps

• Try adding crispy bacon or cooked shredded chicken for a meaty addition.
• Add peas (just add frozen peas right to the pan) or chopped asparagus when adding the mushrooms, or stir in baby spinach at the end if you’d like to add some vegetables in there.
• Replace the cream with creme fraiche for a slightly lighter version. If you’re using a lower fat version, just heat it through gently, as low fat dairy will often split (full fat creme fraiche can be boiled and simmered though).

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4), NOT including extra parmesan to sprinkle on top at the end (I don’t know how much you’re going to sprinkle on 😁).

Nutrition

Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1002mg | Potassium: 754mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1241IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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