The first time I made creamy mushroom pasta was for my wife Marisa after she got home from work. I can always tell when a dish is blog-worthy if I feed it to her after work. If the food can uplift her mood after a long nursing shift, I know it can do the same for you guys.
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 up 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 and 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.
Ingredients you will need!
- 1 lb rigatoni
- 2 16-oz containers of baby bella mushrooms
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chicken broth or water
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Substitutions
Pasta: Feel free to substitute any tubular pasta you like. I would definitely stick with something like penne or rigatoni for this recipe, although spaghetti might be a good one to experiment with as well. If you try a long pasta, let us know how it came out in the comments below, and leave a rating on the sauce while you're down there!
Heavy Cream: There is no substitution that I would do 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!
How to Make Creamy Mushroom Pasta
This recipe is really quick and easy. It's a great recipe to learn how to cook mushrooms on because it is impossible to ruin them as long as you watch the heat on the stovetop!
Sauteing the mushrooms
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.
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!
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. You want them to cook on each side for a little bit before stirring. 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.
Boiling the pasta
In a 4-6 oz pot, bring the water to a boil and boil the pasta in salted water as long as directed by the box. Make sure to cook the pasta all the way to al dente, because the pasta won't cook anymore in the cream sauce as it will in red sauce.
Simmering the sauce
Add the white wine and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 3-5 minutes. It should be a thick brown sauce or it will get almost completely absorbed by the mushrooms.
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.
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!
If you loved this recipe, leave us a rating and review below! We'd love to hear what you think and ratings go a long way for us! Follow us on Instagram @vindelgiudice or Tiktok @alwaysfromscratch.
Check out some of our other favorite vegetable pasta here!
Pasta Primavera with Broccoli and Asparagus
📖 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.
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