Mushroom Pasta

This is a quick and easy creamy mushroom pasta recipe with white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, garlic, and fresh thyme, all in a rich, creamy beef broth. This is a mushroom lovers dream come true and the perfect side for steak, roasted chicken, or grilled fish.

Sometimes I just serve this scrumptious dish as the main course with a simple garden salad and Cheese Garlic Bread. Make it a vegetarian-friendly meal by substituting vegetable broth for the beef broth.

How to make mushroom pasta

Start by melting the butter and heating the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until their juices release, and they are golden brown. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cooking for a minute while stirring constantly. Plate the mushrooms and garlic mixture and add the beef broth scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Then add the cream, fresh thyme, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the fettuccine pasta according to the package directions and drain well. Once the sauce is simmered down, turn the heat as low as it will go. Then slowly stir in the parmesan cheese until melted. Add the cooked pasta and mushrooms to the skillet and toss to coat. Stir over low heat until warmed through. If desired, top with chopped fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom pasta recipe notes and helpful tips

• I like to rinse my mushrooms to remove the dirt, but I dry them thoroughly and quickly with a paper towel. I work in small batches so the mushrooms do not stay wet for more than a minute.
• Use white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms (also known as baby bellas, oyster mushrooms, or even shiitake mushrooms but remove the tough stems on shiitakes. 
• Fresh thyme is one of my favorite herbs with a bright green color. It tastes refreshing, with a slightly minty flavor that complements the mushrooms.
• Try to time the pasta to be done when the sauce is ready. Pasta gets kind of sticky and pasty if it sits in the colander too long.
• This recipe is best served promptly, However, if time doesn’t permit, reheat over low heat on the stovetop.
• Try a variety of added veggies like broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, spinach, or zucchini.  
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.

How to cook mushrooms for pasta

Wash or wipe the mushrooms clean and dry them thoroughly with a paper towel. Slice them fairly thick, as the moisture will be cooked out of them while browning them. Melt some butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook the mushrooms stirring a couple of times, until golden brown. You may see the mushroom exude a lot of moisture, but just keep cooking until the moisture cooks off and the mushrooms are golden brown.

More mushroom recipes you will love!

Mushroom Pasta

A simple Creamy Mushroom Pasta dish made with cremini and white button mushrooms, garlic, beef broth, heavy cream, and a few fresh herbs and spices. Serve as a side dish or as the main course on meatless Mondays. 

5 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: side dish/other

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 527kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 16 ounces white button cremini, or Portobello mushrooms sliced ½ inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ⅔ cup beef broth
• 1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ⅔ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley garnish

Instructions

• Melt the butter and heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic cooking for a minute while stirring constantly. Plate the mushrooms and garlic. 
• Add the beef broth scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any brown bits from the mushrooms. Add the cream, fresh thyme, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for about 12-15 minutes or until reduced by almost half.
• Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook the fettucine pasta slightly al dente according to package directions.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain well.  Once the sauce has simmered down turn the heat down as low as it will go.  Slowly add the Parmesan cheese and stir until it is melted. Add the cooked pasta and mushrooms to the skillet and toss to coat.  If the sauce is too thick use 1 tablespoon at a time of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce. 
• Stir over low heat until warmed through. If desired top with chopped fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Notes

• I like to rinse my mushrooms but I dry them thoroughly and quickly. I work in small batches so the mushrooms do not stay wet for more than a minute.
• Fresh thyme is one of my favorite herbs with a bright green color. It tastes so refreshing with a slightly minty flavor that complements the mushrooms.
• Try to time the pasta to be done when the sauce is ready. Pasta gets kind of sticky and pasty if it sits in the colander too long.
• This recipe is best served promptly however if times does not permit reheat over low heat on the stovetop.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over low heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 469mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1024IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 2mg

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