Simple Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe - with flavorful mushrooms, cream, Pecorino Romano cheese and herbs! Loaded with buttery mushroom flavor, and great for meatless Mondays and busy weeknights, but fancy enough for a special occasion!
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A delicious and simple Creamy Mushroom Pasta recipe for any night of the week!
With plenty of buttery mushrooms in a creamy sauce, you can't go wrong with this pasta. Ready in about 20 minutes, this vegetarian indulgent pasta is great for busy weeknights, Meatless Mondays, a dinner party, or delectable date nights!
The buttery cooked mushrooms, garlic, herbs and cream work together to build a deliciously creamy mushroom sauce that coats just about any pasta perfectly!
Ingredients
- Linguine, or your pasta of choice.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- 16 oz Cremini mushrooms (aka baby bellas), sliced thinly. That might sounds like a lot of mushrooms, but they cook down A LOT.
- 1 shallot, finely diced.
- Butter. I love to use an extra rich and delicious butter, such as Kerrygold, for this recipe.
- 6 cloves garlic, minced.
- A bit of dried thyme. A little goes a long way, but dried thyme goes perfectly with mushrooms!
- Reserved pasta water. The starchy water the pasta cooks in helps to add body and thickness to the sauce. For best results, I like to boil the pasta in a deep saute pan rather than a large stockpot, for ultra concentrated water. This is also a super easy way to do long pasta, like linguine or spaghetti.
- The juice and zest of 1 lemon, for a bit of brightness.
- Heavy cream, to bring the sauce together.
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese or parmesan cheese (plus more for serving).
- Salt and black pepper, to taste.
How to make this simple Creamy Mushroom Pasta recipe
- In a large, deep pan or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add sliced mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 9-11 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned and liquid is evaporated.
- While mushrooms cook, cook pasta in well salted water according to package directions for al dente.
- Reduce heat on mushrooms to medium-low, add butter and shallot and stir to combine with mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and dry thyme, and stir well. Cook for 30 seconds, until just fragrant.
- Add reserved pasta water, lemon juice, and zest, Stir well.
- Add heavy cream and cooked pasta right from the pot, and stir well.
- Turn off the heat and stir in Pecorino Romano.
- Taste, and season with salt and black pepper, if needed.
- Serve with additional grated cheese.
Tips for cooking the mushrooms
Leave them alone!
The best way to cook the mushrooms is to season them well, keep your heat up, and disturb them as minimally as possible. This will let them brown and release their liquid, giving them a better texture and flavor.
What to serve with the Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Aside from a nice glass of wine, such as a pinot noir or sauvignon blanc, this pasta pairs well with a nice salad, or some crusty garlic bread! A lighter side like a salad is great to have to cut through the rich, decadent flavor of the pasta. And wine is always a good idea, in my opinion!
Salad pairings for the Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Additions and Substitutions
Here are some great ideas to work with what you have on hand, or make this pasta your own:
- Try a mix of mushrooms by adding shiitake mushrooms, white button mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms (or a combination) to the cremini mushrooms! A variety of mushrooms is always a great idea!
- Try a different type of pasta, such as spaghetti, fettuccine, or papperdelle. You could also use a shorter shape, such as penne or cavatappi.
- Use grated parmesan instead of Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Try a pinch of fresh thyme in place of dried thyme.
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Simple Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta, such as linguine
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 16 oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- the juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese or parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large, deep pan or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. 2. Add sliced mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 9-11 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned and liquid is evaporated. 3. While mushrooms cook, cook pasta in well salted water according to package directions for al dente. 4. Reduce heat on mushrooms to medium-low, add butter and shallot and stir to combine with mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes, until softened. 5. Add the garlic and dry thyme, and stir well. Cook for 30 seconds, until just fragrant. 6. Add reserved pasta water, lemon juice, and zest, Stir well. 7. Add heavy cream and cooked pasta right from the pot, and stir well. 8. Turn off the heat and stir in Pecorino Romano. 9. Taste, and season with salt pepper if needed. 10. Serve with additional grated cheese.
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