This luxuriously creamy mushroom pasta comes together in 20 minutes. Quick and delicious meat-free dinner.
Start your pasta dinner with an Italian bruschetta as a starter for an authentic experience.
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Pasta is often enjoyed with some sort of meat in North America while all it really needs is a flavourful sauce to be a complete meal.
Whenever I think of a delicious sauce, mushrooms always come to mind! I am quite obsessed with them and I make no apologies. This mushroom pasta with Parmesan cream sauce is a real winner. It’s quick, inexpensive and so easy to make!
I paired my mushroom sauce with the linguine but tagliatelle, fettuccine or a favourite pasta shape of your choice will do the trick. Whatever you use, this is an elevated yet simple pasta that’s perfect for almost any occasion!
Mushroom sauce for pasta
I had a truly creamy mushroom sauce in mind when I made this but also didn’t want to make anything too complicated. The answer was to reach for a classic, which fans of my Pasta Cream Sauce or Alfredo Sauce will recognise.
The simplicity of the sauce is important – quick and easy is just what we need for a weeknight dinner – but doesn’t come at the sacrifice of flavour. It also works as a great base for other ingredients, including the mushrooms we are using here.
Here the umami of the mushrooms and freshness of the herbs act to counterbalance the richness of the sauce, balancing the whole dish. Added together, this creamy mushroom pasta recipe is an elegantly simple recipe that lets the nutty flavour of the mushrooms come through.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Mushrooms are undoubtedly the star of the show here. So to get even more flavour into your pasta do try to get your hands on different types of mushroom like I did in my Mushroom Stroganoff.
- You also want to fry the mushrooms until they are golden for the most intense flavour. The trick to doing it is maintaining relatively high heat during cooking. Also hold off the salt till the end since the salt encourages mushrooms to release liquid.
- Add fresh herbs to your sauce. Mushrooms are basically sponges. They soak up flavours around them. I used basil but if you want something more potent, thyme or rosemary will pair with mushrooms beautifully.
- I used heavy cream for my sauce but if you want to keep your sauce light, go for light cream or half and half. The sauce will be thinner but also less calorific. If you are worried about the consistency of the sauce with lighter cream, just add a tablespoon of flour to the mushrooms before adding the cream to thicken it.
- I used This is an affiliate link.linguine, a long, thick pasta shape to hold on to the creamy sauce and stand up to the rich and creamy sauce. Other shapes like tagliatelle or fettuccine can work as well. Boil in a large pot so the pasta doesn’t stick together.
- Make sure to salt the water well before adding the pasta. Pasta absorbs salt when they are boiled together, whereas salt fails to penetrate if added later.
- Reserving pasta water is important, and a good way to alter the sauce and make it just right. Pasta water has salt and starch from cooking the pasta, so both thickens the sauce and makes it creamy. Add a splash and combine until it’s just as you like it.
Substitutions and variations
It’s easy to change the recipe to suit your tastes. The easiest way to do this is to choose different varieties of mushrooms.
I used chestnut/cremini mushrooms because they were what I had at hand. Oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and even portobello mushrooms are all good options, especially if mixed together.
White button mushrooms can be used as well. They don’t add a lot of flavour but cheap and easy to find is definitely a win!
The other way to alter the recipe is to add a protein. Both chicken and shrimp work well in this sauce.
Serving Suggestions
As I mentioned, this vegetarian pasta is absolutely enough to satisfy most appetites. However, it’s great to add some sides to round off a meal.
In this case, I recommend making our Roasted Parmesan Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Garlic and Chillies. Such a perky side dish to balance out the creamy pasta.
Or if you want something even quicker, try our Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Parmesan, or a simple Garden Salad. And of course, Garlic Bread is always a winner!
Storage and leftovers
As much as we love pasta, the truth is that it’s never as great the next day. Pasta that’s not eaten fresh is likely to lose its al dente texture and become soggier than is ideal.
It will become especially soggy if it is frozen, so if you do have leftovers, keep them in a refrigerator and use within 3 days. Store it in an airtight container and reheat in a microwave.
Favourite mushroom recipes to try
- Chicken Risotto with Mushrooms and Thyme
- Mashed Potato Casserole with Mushrooms and Caramelised Onions
- Creamy Tagliatelle with Bacon, Mushrooms and Truffle Oil
- Beef, Mushroom and Snow Pea Stir Fry
Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 450g/1 lbs This is an affiliate link.linguine or other pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 200g/2 cups mushrooms sliced
- salt to taste
- 4-5 leaves basil
- 80ml/1/3 cup dry white wine
- 375ml/1 ½ cups double/heavy cream
- 50g/1/2 cup This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the sliced mushrooms, fry them over medium high heat until golden, then season with salt, pepper sliced basil. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, bring the heat down to medium and let it simmer until the wine is reduced in volume. Add the heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and stir to combine allowing the cheese to melt into the sauce. Then add salt to taste.
- Drain the pasta and reserve 125ml/1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine, season with more salt, otherwise the pasta might taste a bit bland. If the dish is a bit dry, add a splash to boiling water to loosen it, then sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- To get even more flavour from the mushrooms in this recipe, try out different varieties.
- Fry the mushrooms until they are golden for the most intense flavour. The trick to doing it is maintaining relatively high heat during cooking. Also hold off the salt till the end since the salt encourages mushrooms to release liquid.
- Add herbs to your sauce. Mushrooms soak up the flavours around them. I used fresh basil but if you want something more potent, thyme or rosemary will pair well with mushrooms.
- For a lighter sauce, use light cream or half and half in place of heavy cream. The sauce will be thinner but will also have less calories. If you want to thicken the sauce, add a tablespoon of flour to the mushrooms before adding cream to thicken it.
Julie says
Just finished making and eating this. Used locally grown oyster mushrooms, our homemade Pinot Grigio, and only added the Parmesan cheese once plated.
Husband and the kids (4 yr olds) all enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Can’t wait to try more of them.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Thank you so much for your review, Julie! I am thrilled the recipe turned out to be a success in your home.