A creamy and delicious pasta meal on the table in under 15 minutes. This Creamy Mushroom Pasta not only tastes far more indulgent than it actually is, but it's quick and simple to make. A great date night meal that will impress, without you having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Creamy garlic mushrooms on a bed of pasta and topped with fresh herbs.
Mushrooms have a really meaty texture, so they are the perfect ingredient for a vegetarian comforting meal. Mushrooms and garlic are a delicious flavour combination and a winner when it comes to a quick and easy pasta dish that packs a punch in the taste department. So easy, but tastes like something you would get at a fancy Italian restaurant.
If you are looking for other easy pasta recipe to try, then why not try our Sardine Pasta, Leftover Chicken Pasta, 10 Minute Cream Cheese Pasta or Vegetable Pasta Bake?
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Ingredients needed
- Pasta - We used spaghetti in this recipe, but any pasta will work and it's a good way to use up what you have.
- Shallots - These are the base of the creamy mushroom pasta. They have a nice sweetness to them, but you could use a small brown onion instead.
- Garlic - All pasta is better with garlic in our opinion. Freshly crushed is best, however you could save some time by using crushed garlic in a jar or frozen garlic.
- Mushrooms - The key to mushroom dishes is using a variety of mushrooms for different textures and flavours. If you want to keep this recipe budget friendly, then stick to the cheapest kind of mushroom. But, if you want to take this to the next level, use a mixture such as button, mini Portobello, shiitake and oyster. Remember that mushrooms shrink when cooking, so you want to use lots of them. Make sure you have a pan bit enough for all the mushrooms though, because if you overcrowd them then won't get that nice golden colour.
- Oil - A good quality olive oil.
- Parmesan (or alternative) - This adds to the creaminess and also has a nice nutty flavour.
- Creme fraiche - This is where the creamy sauce comes from. For the most flavour, use full fat. However, you can use reduced fat creme fraiche. Mushrooms have a naturally creamy texture anyway, so this is a creamy dish that is still nutritious too.
- Lemon - This adds a nice freshness to the sauce.
- Black pepper - Season to taste.
- Parsley - This herb goes really well with mushrooms. However, you could also swap it for chives which have a nice onion flavour that compliments the mushrooms.
- Pasta water - This is our "secret" ingredient in every pasta dish and something that every Italian uses in their cooking. Adding a little bit of the starchy pasta water makes the sauce really silky smooth and cling to the pasta. It also loosens the sauce up a little, helping it go further.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make mushroom pasta - Step by step
One: Add the spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
Two: Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and gently cook for 3 minutes.
Three: Stir in the creme fraiche, Parmesan and lemon zest,
Four: Mix well and simmer for a minute.
Five: Drain the pasta and top with mushroom sauce, black pepper and parsley.
Health benefits of mushrooms
Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, and are actually one of the only non-animal sources of the vitamin. Whether grown inside or outside, they are exposed to UV light which increases their concentration of vitamin D.
Mushroom pasta can be low in calories and carbs and make a nice light meal when served with a big salad. Mushrooms are really nutritious too and a great source of B vitamins and potassium. Just be careful with how much cheese you load on top of this.
What to serve with Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Everyone know that garlic bread and pasta are a match made in heaven. Carby heaven! Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Why not try our Cheesy Garlic Bread recipe.
You could also keep it simple with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette. You could also try our Grilled Little Gem Salad.
If you want to add a big side of vegetables, then we recommend our Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli, Garlic Green Beans, Air Fryer Carrots, or Roasted Lemon Asparagus.
Storage
Store: This is best eaten fresh, however if you do have leftovers then you can store it in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freeze: This isn't the best dish to freeze as the sauce can separate when defrosted and reheated. But, it's really quick and simple to make, so it is best made from fresh.
Reheat: You have to be really careful when reheating this creamy mushroom pasta, as you don't have to sauce to separate. Heat it on low and add a little milk to loosen the sauce up.
Frequently asked questions
If you add a bit too much of the pasta water and your sauce is too thin, then carry on cooking it on a low heat for a little longer, until it has thickened up.
If you use your favourite gluten free pasta and make sure that there is no cross contamination, then this is a delicious gluten free meal.
Mushrooms are a good ingredient for a vegan pasta dish and this is easy to make vegan by using an oat based creme fraiche and a vegan Parmesan alternative. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast would be really good on the vegan version of this.
Adding starchy pasta water (just 100ml is enough) to a fat like creme fraiche will create an emulsion and this gives a really silky smooth sauce and helps it cling to the pasta. Make sure you scoop out the water just before draining, as this ensures that it is nice and starchy.
As a general rule, we go for 75g (2.5oz) of dried pasta per person.
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Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 150 g Whole wheat pasta
- 3 Shallots
- 4 Garlic clove - crushed
- 250 g Mushrooms - sliced (any kind)
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil
- 30 g Parmesan
- 6 tablespoon Reduced fat creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoon Fresh parsley - chopped
- 0.5 Lemon - (zest only)
- Black pepper
- Fresh parsley - (to serve)
Instructions
- Add the spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and gently cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the creme fraiche, parmesan and lemon zest, stir and simmer for a minutes.
- Drain the pasta and top with mushroom sauce, black pepper and parsley.
Notes
- If you want to add some extra protein, you could grill some chicken, chop it up and stir it in to the finished sauce.
- Add some extra greens by stirring in some spinach a couple of minutes before the sauce is cooked.
- Add some extra vegetables by adding some frozen peas or sweetcorn at the same time as cooking the pasta.
- A little bit of truffle oil drizzled over the finished dish adds loads of extra flavour and makes it a bit more special.
- For an extra rich flavour, add a splash of white wine.
- Make this recipe gluten free by swapping the spaghetti for your favourite gluten free pasta.
- Use a variety of mushrooms to add plenty of different textures and flavours.
- This dish is best made from fresh as the sauce can separate when defrosted and reheated.
- When using Parmesan, try to grate it fresh rather than using a bag of pre-grated cheese, as you will have a much stronger flavour.
- To make this mushroom pasta even quicker, use some fresh pasta which is ready in a few minutes.
- If you like your food spicy, then add a sprinkle of red chilli flakes on top before serving.
- Add a splash of olive oil to the pan before serving for an extra boost of flavour.
Zoe
Wow that pasta looks delicious! It is making me hungry lol
Laura Hartley
I grew up hating mushrooms but for some reason I have acquired a taste for creamy mushroom sauce and pasta. This recipe sounds right up my street!
Kristina
If it's pasta it's a winner in my books ;) Love this recipe! x
Nayna Kanabar
This pasta looks so tasty and I love garlic so I would happily serve it.
Vicky Tallman
I bought my daughter this multi cooker when she went to uni in September and sadly I think she has only used it twice. But I will send this link to her and hopefully it will motivate her to use it more.
Rebecca Smith
This looks like my perfect meal, three favourite things in one!
Catstello
Yay love seeing more veggie recipes, looks great!
Fashion and Style Police
Lovely recipe to try out. Thanks for sharing.
Alida @My Little Italian Kitchen
This is a delicious pasta dish. I love creamy mushroom pasta and I would go for wholemeal too. It fills you up much more and once you get used to wholemeal white pasta won't taste of much.
A lovely recipe for the weekend :-)
Rhian Westbury
I'm not a massive fan of creamy sauces unless it is heavily full of cheese haha, but the multicooker looks like an awesome gadget to have x
David @ Spiced
You had me at creamy and garlic, Dannii! This sounds like the ultimate comfort-food meal for a chilly weeknight. That multicooker sounds awesome, too. Hope you and Dave have an awesome weekend! :-)
DannyUK.com
Looks absolutely lovely. It also doesn't look too difficult to make which is a bonus!
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I especially like that you have incorporated two glasses of wine into this delicious recipe Dannii. :D
It's reminding me of the lovely white Lynne and I have got chilling in the fridge for this evening.
Hope you have a great weekend!
The London Mum
Quite possibly one of my favourite dishes, I love mushrooms!
Laura ~ RYG
This dish looks absolutely delicious! I love how mushrooms beef up a meal without beefing me up =)
StressedMum
Sounds delicious, am definitely going to be making this I love pasta x
Nayna Kanabar
What a delicious bowl of goodness.Perfect with aside salad.
Jade Wright
Oh wow! This looks amazing and so easy - pasta is one of my fav things to cook up. I will definitely be bookmarking this to try tomorrow night! Thank you lady!
New follower xx
Dina
Wow - that is a lot of garlic!
Martine
Greek yoghurt in pasta? I have never heard of that before. But I trust you ;) Maybe some asparagus would be good in this too?