Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- Pasta:
- 12 oz pasta fettuccine, penne, or rigatoni
- Salt for pasta water
- Mushroom Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- Serving:
- Extra Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Boil salted water. Cook pasta until al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta. Set aside.
- While pasta cooks, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms. Cook 6 to 8 minutes until golden. Do not stir too much.
- Add garlic. Cook 30 seconds.
- Add wine or broth. Scrape up brown bits. Simmer 2 minutes.
- Reduce to medium heat. Add cream, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Stir together. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Add pasta to sauce. Toss to coat.
- Add reserved pasta water if sauce is too thick.
- Remove from heat. Stir in parsley.
- Serve immediately. Top with Parmesan, parsley, and pepper.
Notes
- Do not stir mushrooms too much — let them brown
- Use high heat for mushrooms to prevent sogginess
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency
- Do not boil cream — keep at gentle simmer
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for smooth melting
- Add pasta to sauce, not sauce to pasta
- Serve immediately — sauce thickens as it sits
- Any mushrooms work — cremini, shiitake, oyster, mixed
- Store leftovers up to 3 days
- Reheat gently with splash of cream