This Creamy Mushroom Pasta is an extremely simple pasta dish you can make in 20 minutes. It's vegetarian but filled with umami and richness. I used classic button mushrooms for the sauce, but any type of mushroom, like cremini or oyster should work.
About This Recipe
I had mushroom pasta at this restaurant recently and knew I had to recreate it at home. The standout feature was the creamy sauce. I believe they used heavy cream and parmesan because it was very milky and cheesy tasting. The sauce paired perfectly with the wide fettuccine noodles which held onto all the delicious sauce.
I learned with this recipe that it's important to set aside some of the leftover pasta water. I'm not sure why, but this sauce in particular seemed to dry up very quickly once the noodles were added in. Adding some pasta water helps bring the sauce back to a smooth, creamy texture.
Key Ingredients
Fettuccine: I personally enjoy fettuccine noodles the most, but any type of pasta will work.
Olive oil: I used extra virgin olive oil. You could use butter as well if you want extra richness.
Aromatics: Onions and garlic.
Mushrooms: I used button mushrooms, but any type of mushroom will work. Just make sure to cut it accordingly (for example portabello should be cut into smaller pieces).
White wine: To be completely honest, I ran out of white wine at home so I used sake instead. But if you have white wine, definitely use that.
Chicken stock: For this, I combined Better Than Bouillon with water.
Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
Heavy cream & parmesan: These provide all the richness of the sauce.
Instructions
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil ( use about ½ a tablespoon of salt per quart of water). Add the fettuccine and cook according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
STEP 2: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions for 4-5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
STEP 3: Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and change to a brown color. This step usually takes 4-5 minutes, but for weaker stoves, it can take 7-8 minutes.
STEP 4: Add the white wine, chicken stock, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and then let it bubble for 6-7 minutes until it reduces in volume to ⅓ of its original amount.
STEP 5: Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan.
STEP 6: Add the cooked pasta and season with salt and black pepper. If the sauce is dry or "sticky", add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up! If you run out of pasta water, you can always add water or milk as well.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked fettucine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ small onion (finely diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 ounces button mushrooms (or cremini; thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I use about ½ tablespoon of salt per quart of water). Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserved ½ cup of the cooking water, drain, and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes until they soften and turn brown.
- Add the white wine, chicken stock, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 5-6 minutes until it reduces to about ⅓ of its original amount.
- Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta is too thick or sticky, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Enjoy!
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