This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Perfectly sautéed mushrooms come together with a bit of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to make this delicious Mushroom Pasta! It’s a quick and easy vegetarian dish that takes just 10 ingredients and 20 minutes to make!
Best Mushroom Pasta Recipe
When you add mushrooms to a dish what you’re really doing is adding in some delicious umami amazingness! It’s a palate pleaser and mushrooms are full of this addictively good flavor. It’s why my Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad and Mushroom Pork Chops have been such a hit.
So in this recipe, I decided to keep things super simple and make it all about the mushrooms. The sauce is pretty basic and literally just a mixture of butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese with a touch of garlic that all blends perfectly together with some sautéed mushrooms. And for the pasta, I choose to use spaghetti, but really any type of pasta will work.
It’s a vegetarian recipe by design, but you can easily top this simple Mushroom Pasta with any protein you like such as some tasty Baked Chicken Breast or Garlic Butter Shrimp.
Why You’ll Love This Mushroom Pasta
- Easy Recipe! This is a simple 3-step recipe. You only need 10 simple pantry ingredients and it takes just 20 minutes to make with very little prep time.
- Yummy Umami Pasta! When you make a sautéed mushroom sauce and toss it together with some noodles and cheese you’ve got yourself a plate of deliciousness.
- Weeknight Favorite! A 20-minute made from scratch meal is ideal for busy weeknights and this one is unbelievably good. Not to mention, the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta – I used spaghetti for this recipe, but essentially any type of pasta can be used including gluten free varieties. Tagliatelle is another one of my favorites with this dish.
- Mushrooms – I normally use white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms. However, any type of mushroom will work such as baby bellas, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms. You can even use chopped-up portobello mushrooms.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in cooking to control the added salt.
- Olive Oil – You want to use extra virgin olive oil for most flavor. Ideally, Italian and of decent quality.
- Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is the best choice. You can also use jarred garlic, yet it can sometimes have an odd taste unless it was just recently opened.
- Salt – No pasta dish would be complete without a touch of salt for seasoning.
- Black Pepper – Fresh ground black pepper is ideal.
- Heavy Cream – Blends wonderfully with the sautéed mushroom and makes the dish rich and creamy.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan adds a lovely layer of salty cheese to the pasta.
This is a quick and easy foolproof recipe. You just boil some spaghetti and make a simple sauce as the noodles cook. Then toss it all together and you’ve got dinner on the table in just 20 minutes!
Cook The Spaghetti
To begin, you’ll want to bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Next, add the noodles and cook them according to the package directions until al dente. Then when they done, drain the spaghetti, but make sure to reserve ½ cup of the pasta water for a later step. Now, set the noodles aside.
Sauté The Mushrooms
While the pasta is cooking, you can make the sauce. To start, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Then add the sliced mushrooms and cook them for about 5 minutes or until they have browned and all the liquid has evaporated. If after 5 minutes, there is still a lot of liquid in the pan you need to keep cooking them. And don’t forget that to properly saute you must toss the mushrooms around the pan as they cook.
Add The Garlic And Season
Once the mushrooms are nice and browned, sprinkle them with salt and pepper to season. Then stir in the garlic along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook everything for another 1 to 2 minutes. Yet, take care not to burn the garlic, so make sure to keep moving things around in the pan.
Finish The Pasta
Now, it’s time to combine it all together! Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the mushrooms along with the Parmesan cheese, pasta water, and heavy cream. Next, gently toss everything together until the noodles are coated with the mushroom sauce. At this point, if the pasta seems dry you can add more of the pasta cooking water, vegetable broth, or heavy cream. Then taste the dish and add more salt and pepper to season if needed.
Garnish And Serve
To finish, top the mushroom pasta with more Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Then serve along with some yummy Garlic Parmesan Skillet Rolls and a simple Caprese Salad for a complete meal.
Can I Add Wine To The Dish?
Yes! But only use about ¼ cup of wine and I suggest using a dry white wine. You’ll add it after you saute the mushrooms but before you add the remaining butter and garlic to the skillet. Also, after the wine is added, you once again must saute the mushrooms until almost all the wine has evaporated before you continue on with the instructions of the recipe.
What Does It Mean To Cook Pasta Al Dente?
Pasta is best when cooked “al dente”, which means it’s tender but still firm to the bite. I always suggest checking the doneness of the pasta about 2 minutes before the package directions indicate.
Expert Tips
- Salt your pasta water. You want to salt your pasta water with at least a big tablespoon of salt to season the spaghetti. The water should taste salty like the sea.
- Olive oil and butter. Use both the olive oil and butter to saute the mushrooms. The oil not only adds more flavor but also keeps the milk solids in the butter from burning.
- Let the liquid evaporate. You must let all the liquid from the mushrooms completely evaporate for them to saute. Any additional liquid keeps them from browning properly.
- Use quality ingredients. Simple pasta dishes are easy to make, but the layered flavors are based on quality ingredients. So for the best results use a decent Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and butter as well as fresh mushrooms and garlic.
Leftovers
This mushroom pasta will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, simply add a few tablespoons of water to add some moisture, then cover it, and put it in the microwave for about 3 minutes on medium. You can also heat it on the stove in a pan if you prefer.
More Delicious Recipes to Try
Mushroom Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounce spaghetti
- 1 pound mushrooms such as white or cremini, sliced ¼-inch thin
- 3 tablespoon butter unsalted, divided
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
- Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a large skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until all the water from the mushrooms has evaporated and they start to turn golden brown.
- Season the mushrooms with salt, pepper and add the garlic and remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- To the skillet, add the cooked spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, pasta water and heavy cream. Toss gently until the sauce coats the pasta evenly. If the pasta looks too dry, add more pasta water or heavy cream. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and more Parmesan cheese.
Tips & Notes:
- Salt your pasta water. You want to salt your pasta water with at least a big tablespoon of salt to season the spaghetti. The water should taste salty like the sea.
- Olive oil and butter. Use both the olive oil and butter to saute the mushrooms. The oil not only adds more flavor but also keeps the milk solids in the butter from burning.
- Let the liquid evaporate. You must let all the liquid from the mushrooms completely evaporate for them to saute. Any additional liquid keeps them from browning properly.
- Use quality ingredients. Simple pasta dishes are easy to make, but the layered flavors are based on quality ingredients. So for the best results use a decent Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and butter as well as fresh mushrooms and garlic.
- This mushroom pasta will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
