This creamy mushroom pasta is a comforting 30-minute meal that’s elegant enough for date night but easy enough for a weeknight dinner! What makes our recipe special is the homemade cream sauce that brings a serious wow factor. Simple ingredients come together to create restaurant-quality pasta that’s absolutely delicious!
I absolutely love mushrooms, and showcasing them in a nice pasta recipe is such a delicious way to let them shine. This recipe has become one of our favorite pasta recipes when we want something that feels special but doesn’t require hours in the kitchen. The combination of earthy mushrooms, garlic, wine, cream, and cheese creates this incredibly savory sauce that’s satisfying and simply put… delicious.
If you’re a mushroom enthusiast like I am, you can play around and try all kinds of mushroom varieties in this recipe! The photos show this made with king oyster mushrooms from a local farm, and they’re so good! But I’ve found that using a nice mix of mushrooms really elevates the dish too. The trick is taking the time to sauté your mushrooms long enough to build flavor and really bring out their umami-ness; browning them a little bit after all of the water has been released and is mostly evaporated off.
You’ll Love This Mushroom Cream Pasta
Ready in 30 minutes. From start to finish, you can have this restaurant-quality pasta dish on the table in about half an hour.
Homemade cream sauce. No jarred sauce here (which also means no strange, unnecessary ingredients)! The homemade sauce is ultra luxurious by using the perfect ratio of white wine, broth, cream, and freshly grated cheese.
Great for date night. While this meal is easy and quick enough to make any night of the week, it’s also elegant and impressive enough for a romantic dinner at home!
Ingredients for Our Mushroom Pasta Recipe
- Pappardelle pasta. The wide, flat noodles are ideal for catching all that creamy sauce (other long pasta shapes that would also work well include fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle, bucatini, or spaghetti).
- Salted butter AND olive oil. Used together to sauté the mushrooms and build flavor in the sauce. Using both helps to prevent the butter from burning and also makes it easier to get a nice golden sear on the mushrooms.
- Mushrooms. The star of our recipe! You can use all kinds of mushrooms such as oyster, shiitake, baby bella, white button, or a mix of varieties.
- Salt and black pepper. Season the mushrooms and sauce.
- Garlic cloves, minced. Add aromatic, savory depth to the sauce.
- Dry white wine. Deglazes the pan and adds acidity and depth to the sauce (you can substitute with more broth if you prefer).
- Chicken OR vegetable broth. Adds savory flavor to the cream sauce (we like to use Better Than Bouillon to make just the ½ cup we need, so you don’t have a huge container or open can of broth floating around in your fridge).
- Heavy cream. Creates the rich, velvety sauce that coats the pasta.
- Cheese. Cheese helps thicken the sauce and adds flavor. We’re using a local cheese, Wood River Creamery Truffle Cheddar Gruyere, because it pairs wonderfully with the mushrooms and takes this pasta to the next level. However, parmesan, gouda, or gruyere are all great options too!
- Optional for serving: Extra cheese, fresh parsley. Garnishes that add a finishing touch.
All ingredient measurements and complete recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Helpful Equipment
You’ll need a large skillet for cooking the mushrooms and making the sauce, and a large pot for boiling the pasta. Make sure your skillet is big enough to toss the pasta with the sauce at the end!
How to Make Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you work on cooking your mushrooms.
Sauté the mushrooms. Melt the butter and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has released and evaporated, and the mushrooms start to get golden-brown.
Cook the pasta (start when mushrooms are about halfway done, about the same time as you add the garlic in). Add salt to the boiling water, and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente (you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce). Just before draining, scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water (we’ll use some of it in our sauce!).
Add the garlic. When the mushrooms begin to get golden, add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
Deglaze with wine. Add the white wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits (this is where the flavor lives!). Simmer until the wine is mostly evaporated.
Add the broth, heavy cream, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken slightly.
Add the cheese. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese, stirring until it’s completely melted and smooth.
Toss pasta with the sauce. Transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss for 1 to 2 minutes to coat every strand of pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add additional splashes of reserved pasta cooking water until you reach your desired consistency.
Taste and serve. Taste the pasta and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with additional cheese and fresh parsley if desired, and enjoy!
Pasta with Mushrooms Variation Ideas
- Try different mushrooms. Mix and match varieties like oyster, shiitake, portobello, baby bella, or white button mushrooms for different flavors and textures.
- Add protein. Top with grilled chicken, seared steak slices, or shrimp to make this an even heartier meal.
- Make it truffle-y. Drizzle with a little truffle oil at the end for a luxurious addition.
- Add a kick of heat. Sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes into the pan with the garlic for a subtle spicy note that cuts through the richness of the cream sauce.
- Add greens. Toss in some fresh spinach or arugula during the last minute of cooking for added color and nutrition.
Expert Tips for Making This Pasta Recipe with Mushrooms
Use a nice variety of mushrooms. Since this meal really showcases the mushrooms, I recommend reaching for interesting varieties (it’s worth a little splurge is this case)! King oyster mushrooms from a local farm (like in the photos) are incredible, but shiitake, oyster, baby bella, portobello, or a mix of mushrooms will be delicious.
Don’t rush the mushroom cooking. Let the mushrooms cook until most of their liquid has evaporated and they start to turn golden. This really enhances their flavor and gives them the best texture.
Save that pasta water. The starchy pasta cooking water is essential for getting the sauce to the right consistency and helping it cling to the pasta. Don’t skip this step!
Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Cooking the pasta for the last minute or two in the sauce (rather than fully cooking it in water) helps it absorb all those amazing flavors.
How to Store This Mushroom Pasta Dish
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cream sauce may thicken as it sits, which is totally normal. Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth, cream, or water to loosen the sauce. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through and adding a splash of liquid if needed.
I don’t recommend freezing this pasta. Cream-based sauces can separate and become grainy when frozen and reheated, and the pasta texture suffers as well. It’s best enjoyed fresh or within a few days of making it.
What Goes with Mushroom Pasta?
This creamy mushroom pasta is delicious on its own, but it also pairs wonderfully with protein like grilled chicken, seared steak, or shrimp. Serve it alongside a simple green salad or arugula salad with vinaigrette to balance the richness of the cream sauce. Or roast up some asparagus an elegant veggie side. Adding a slice of garlic bread or crusty bread for soaking up every bit of that delicious sauce is always a good choice. And a glass of crisp white wine like the one you used in the sauce (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is a great pairing for this pasta.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Just use vegetable broth (not chicken) and you’ve got a delicious vegetarian meal. Make sure your cheese is vegetarian-friendly too if that’s important to you.
Use a dry white wine that you’d actually enjoy drinking, like pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or an unoaked chardonnay. The wine adds acidity and depth to the sauce.
The consistency depends on how much pasta water you add. Start with ¼ cup and add more as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water a splash at a time. If it’s too thin, let it simmer for another minute or two to reduce slightly.
Heavy cream creates the richest sauce, but you have a few options. Half-and-half will work but the sauce will be thinner. For a lighter version, you can use whole milk thickened with a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch. For dairy-free, try full-fat coconut cream or cashew cream (just know the flavor will change slightly).
Love this recipe? Try One of These Easy Pasta Recipes Next!
Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pappardelle pasta (good alternatives include: fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle, bucatini, or spaghetti)
- water for cooking pasta (1 Cup of pasta water to be reserved for use in the sauce)
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 10 ounces mushrooms, slices about ⅛" thick (varieties such as oyster, shitake, café, baby bella, white button, etc.)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ Cup dry white wine (option to substitute with more broth)
- ½ Cup chicken broth -OR- vegetable broth
- ½ Cup heavy cream
- ½ Cup grated Wood River Creamery Black Truffle Cheddar Gruyere (good alternatives include: parmesan, gruyere, or gouda)
- optional garnishes such as additional cheese, fresh parsley, etc.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while the mushrooms cook. Once the mushrooms are about halfway done, drop in the dry pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente (you'll finish cooking it in the sauce). Just before draining, scoop out and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.8 ounces uncooked pappardelle pastawater for cooking pasta
- Sauté the mushrooms. While the pasta water boils, and the pasta cooks, melt the butter and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt, and pepper and cook until most of the liquid has released and evaporated, stirring often.2 Tablespoons salted butter1 Tablespoon olive oil10 ounces mushrooms, slices about ⅛" thick¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon pepper
- Add the garlic. When the mushrooms begin to get golden, add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).3 garlic cloves, minced
- Deglaze with wine. Add the white wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits. Simmer until the wine is mostly evaporated.½ Cup dry white wine
- Make the sauce. Add the broth, heavy cream, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken slightly.½ Cup chicken broth -OR- vegetable broth½ Cup heavy cream
- Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese, stirring until it's completely melted and smooth.½ Cup grated Wood River Creamery Black Truffle Cheddar Gruyere
- Toss with pasta. Transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats every strand of pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add additional splashes of reserved pasta cooking water until you reach your desired.
- Taste and serve. Taste the pasta and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with additional cheese and fresh parsley if desired, and enjoy!optional garnishes such as additional cheese, fresh parsley, etc.
Video
Notes
- Add protein. Top with grilled chicken, seared steak slices, or shrimp.
- Make it truffle-y. Drizzle with a little truffle oil at the end for a luxurious addition.
- Add a kick of heat. Sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes into the pan with the garlic for a subtle spicy note that cuts through the richness of the cream sauce.
- Add greens. Toss in some fresh spinach or arugula during the last minute of cooking for added color and nutrition.
David says
I was amazed at how quickly such a restaurant-quality dish came together at home!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear you loved it too!
Meredith says
The perfect at-home date night pasta recipe!