Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Luxurious, aromatic, and delicious; this Creamy Mushroom Pasta is quick to make any day of the week or for a romantic dinner at home.

Made with fettuccine pasta, thick and flavorful mushrooms, a velvety cream sauce, and cheese, this vegetarian pasta is a dream.

Looking for more easy vegetarian weeknight meals? Check out these fan-favorites like Mushroom Fajitas, Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, and Buffalo Tofu Bowls!

Easy Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe

Looking for an easy way to get dinner on the table in under 30 minutes? This creamy vegetarian pasta makes for the perfect weeknight dinner and can be ready without much effort.

We’ve all been there — it’s been a long day of working and you want something delicious, but you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.

This restaurant quality easy weeknight meal can be on the table in a short amount of time and taste like you spent all day making the sauce from scratch.

What I really love about this recipe is how well balanced the flavors are and everything comes together in one incredibly delicious bite.

Love pasta as much as I do? Check out some of my other favorite pasta dishes like Lobster Pasta With Champagne Butter Sauce, Mint Pesto Prosciutto Pasta, and Creamy Basil Pesto Shrimp Pasta.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta Ingredients

Pasta: for this recipe, I used fettuccine pasta. Fettuccine is a really nice long-strand pasta that is not too thin but also not too thick. If you don’t have fettuccine on hand, you can use any long-strand pasta like spaghetti, linguine, or pappardelle.

Dairy: to achieve that velvety cream sauce, you will need butter, heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, and asiago cheese.

Vegetables: the main fresh veggie in the recipe is, mushrooms. I used cremini mushrooms because they are my favorite, but they also pack more flavor than the traditional white mushroom. I also used garlic which adds a delicious nutty flavor to not only the mushrooms but the pasta and sauce overall.

Spices and fresh herbs: kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and fresh thyme are all you need to season the dish. You don’t have to use fresh thyme, however, I think the fresh herb makes all the difference!

Water: to make the sauce we are going to use a bit of reserved pasta water. This ingredient is key for making a smooth pasta sauce. When you use reserved water, your sauce will come out smooth and bind to the pasta perfectly.

*For a detailed list of instructions, ingredients and measurements, please reference the recipe card down below.

How to make Creamy Mushroom Pasta

For the pasta:

1. Boil water. In a large pasta pot, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt.

2. Cook the pasta. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rest.

For the sauce:

1. Brown the butter. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil and add the garlic. Mix until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant.

2. Cook the mushrooms. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until tender and slightly browned.

3. Add the whipping cream. Remove from the stove, and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes. Add the whipping cream and mix until combined. Make sure that the whipping cream is at room temperature and not cold or it may separate.

4. Mix in the cheese. Once the cream is fully combined, place the pan back on the stove on low heat and add both of the grated cheeses. Mix until cheese is completely melted and evenly combined. Add in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Mix in the salt and pepper, taste, and add more if needed.

5. Add sauce to pasta. Mix the pasta with the sauce and serve immediately. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add more pasta water little by little until you get the consistency you like. If you like it as it is, discard the remaining water.

6. Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.

If you love mushrooms as much as I do, you’ll want to give this Black Trumpet Pasta a try sometime!

What to Serve on the Side

This luxurious creamy mushroom pasta deserves the perfect partner on its plate!

Serve up this pasta dish with a crisp fresh salad to balance the meal. Consider a light dressing like oil, vinegar, and salt, Italian dressing, or balsamic vinaigrette.

Looking for a more hearty side dish? Serve your creamy pasta with a side of homemade bread and Olive Oil Bread Dip.

What kind of mushrooms should I use?

When choosing a mushroom to cook with, there are a variety of mushrooms and all have their own flavor profiles and characteristics.

When making this creamy mushroom pasta, I used cremini mushrooms (baby bellas) because they are similar to portobello mushrooms in terms of flavor and texture, but much smaller in size.

If you can’t find these particular mushrooms in the store, an easy substitute would be swapping them out for white button mushrooms (white mushrooms).

White button mushrooms are light and don’t stand out in the flavor category, but are a very popular option.

If you are a bit more advanced in your mushroom preference and are looking for more flavor, these are some other top recommended mushrooms to use for pasta:

• Portobello mushrooms. These mushrooms are great for pasta because of their size. They are known for being a “meaty” mushroom and pair perfectly if you are looking to make a hearty pasta dish.
• Shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms are more prevelant in Asian cuisine, but they pair really well with creamy linguine dishes and add an earthy flavor.
• Porcini mushrooms. Porcini or porcino mushrooms are really popular in Italy and France, but they are also one of the most popular mushrooms around the world! These mushrooms offer a strong mushroom flavor that stands out in pasta dishes.

Can I use a different type of pasta?

Yes! You are not married to one type of pasta when making this creamy mushroom pasta. In fact, depending on what you are making it for, I would almost recommend switching to a different cut of pasta.

Romantic dinner or special occasion: if you are looking to make a romantic or fancy dinner, I recommend using a long cut of pasta like linguini, fettuccine, pappardelle, tagliatelle, or bucatini.

Dinner party: when entertaining, I recommend using medium-cut pasta like rigatoni or ziti.

Pot luck dinner: if you’re bringing this dish to a potluck, I recommend using a short-cut pasta so it doesn’t take the shape of the dish it’s in. For this, I recommend farfalle (also known as bowtie pasta or butterfly pasta), rotini, or orecchiette (also known as shells).

How to make a dairy free mushroom sauce?

If dairy doesn’t agree with you, don’t sweat it! You can still enjoy a creamy dairy-free mushroom sauce with a few substitutions:

• Butter. Swap out regular butter for vegan butter or vegan margarine.
• Heavy whipping cream. Instead of using heavy cream, swap it out with unsweetened full fat coconut milk.
• Cheese. Substitute the dairy cheese with vegan cheese or dairy-free cheese option.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta Wine Pairing

This top-notch pasta and creamy sauce deserve way more than a glass of water or soda or be washed down with.

Below you will find some of my favorite white wines to enjoy with this creamy mushroom sauce pasta.

If you are a red wine drinker, consider something smooth and juicy like a tempranillo or pinot noir. Prefer white wine? Cut through the cream sauce with a bubbly and sparkling brut or crisp chardonnay.

More Pasta Recipes

• Mediterranean Gluten Free Pasta Salad
• Lobster Pasta With Champagne Butter Sauce
• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
• Mint Pesto Prosciutto Pasta
• Spring Pea Pasta

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