A creamy mushroom pasta with a hint of spicy and smoky, topped with parmesan and fresh parsley. This pasta is anything but bland and is a great side dish or meal for your family.
Looking for more creamy pasta? Try out Cajun Shrimp Scampi or Creamy Chicken Parmesan Pasta.
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Cream Sauce Pasta
I am not a huge fan of heavy cream in pasta. I don't know if it is just an engrained prejudice against alfredo sauce or what, but I have never really played with it until this recipe! My biggest complaint with cream sauces is that they are usually very bland, so I knew if I was going to like this recipe I needed it to be as flavorful as possible.
Instead of just going with the normal garlic or onion flavors I chose to make this a little spicy and smoky with cayenne and paprika. It adds the perfect amount of kick to the cream sauce but not enough to overpower anything.
If you can't use heavy cream you might want to try a creamy pasta that doesn't require it like our Creamy Pesto Shrimp Pasta.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Pasta: Feel free to substitute any tubular pasta you like. I would definitely stick with something like penne or rigatoni for this recipe.
Heavy Cream: There is no substitution that I would make for heavy cream. I'm sure some people have tried coconut cream, but that flavor profile would just not work for me.
Mushrooms: Substitute any mushrooms that you have in your fridge. Anything will work for this recipe, but the textures and tastes will just be slightly different!
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: Add your olive oil to a large saucepan and bring to medium heat. Add the shallots first and stir until they soften, about 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms start turning a deep brown color, about 8-10 minutes.
If the mushrooms start sticking to the pan, lower the heat slightly. Don't stir the mushrooms too much. The more you stir them, the more they will steam instead of sear. Once the mushrooms have developed a deep brown color, add your garlic and saute for 1- 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
Pro-Tip
- I know most of the time we hear to season with salt early and often, but with mushrooms, that's not the case. Add salt too soon and the mushrooms will steam instead of developing a nice golden brown edge. Wait to salt until you are making your sauce with this dish. The parmesan and salt will do wonders for you!
Step 2: Boil the pasta in salted water as long as directed by the box. Make sure to cook the pasta to al dente, because the pasta won't cook anymore in the cream sauce.
Step 3: Add the white wine and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. It should be a thick brown sauce. It will get almost completely absorbed by the mushrooms.
Step 4: Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on low for 5-8 minutes until the sauce starts turning a slight orange-brown. Then add in the parmesan and stir until completely melted.
Step 5: Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until completely covered. Serve with fresh parsley and extra parmesan.
Creamy mushroom pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods. It is such an easy dish to make, so it is perfect for Friday night, staying in, and watching a movie on the couch! It's also great as a side dish along with Crispy Italian Chicken Cutlets or Pistachio Pea Pesto Stuffed Chicken for dinner parties or the family because it only requires one pan and pot for the pasta!
FAQs
The reason creamy pasta is difficult to reheat is because the oil and fat will separate from the cream when reheating. The best way to reheat is to slowly reheat on over medium heat on a pan on the stove.
I used a sauvignon blanc. It's light and crisp. I find it to be my favorite white wine to cook with.
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More Vegetable-Based Pasta
📖 Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 16 oz containers of baby bellas
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chicken broth or water
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add your olive oil to a large saucepan and bring to medium heat. Add the shallots first and stir until they soften, about 2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms start turning a deep brown color, about 8-10 minutes. Once the mushrooms have developed a deep brown color, add your garlic and saute for 1- 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
- In a 4-6 oz pot, boil pasta in salted water as directed by box.
- Add the white wine and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Next, add the heavy cream, chicken broth, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on low for 5-8 minutes until the sauce starts turning a slight orange-brown. Then add in the parmesan and stir until completely melted.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and stir until completely covered. Serve with fresh parsley and extra parmesan.
Notes
- I know most of the time we hear to season with salt early and often, but with mushrooms, that's not the case. Add salt too soon and the mushrooms will steam instead of developing a nice golden brown edge. Wait to salt until you are making your sauce with this dish. The parmesan and salt will do wonders for you!
Leo
I love a good creamy pasta like this one. Heartwarming and comforting. We ate it all in one sitting.