Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta is great when you are craving a vegetarian meal with meaty flavor. Best of all, it is rich in garlic flavor, can be made with spaghetti, fettuccine or any other pasta that you wish and is made in 30 minutes. To make it even better we are garnishing with Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

If you want more meat-free mushroomy recipes for all your meatless Monday meals, be sure to check out our Mushroom Risotto too. I know you’ll love it.

How to Sauté Mushrooms

First of all, we need to clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or paper towel. We clean them this way rather than washing them under water as this prevents them from absorbing the water and becoming soggy.

Next, add olive oil and butter to the frying pan. Once the fat is hot, sauté the mushrooms until they are browned. Remember to add salt at the end of the cook time, otherwise it will pull out too much liquid. To see how to perfectly sauté mushrooms check out our recipe for Sautéed Mushrooms.

What type of pasta can you use?

To make our creamy mushroom garlic pasta, we use spaghetti, since it nicely combines with the creamy sauce. However, you can use any other pasta that you wish including fettuccine, linguine, vermicelli, penne, farfalle, etc. You can also use your favorite gluten-free pasta. 

How to Make the Creamy Sauce

First, cook sliced mushrooms until softened and nicely browned. Then season with salt and black pepper. Stir and cook for another few minutes until juices evaporate.

In the last 30 seconds of cooking, add minced garlic to make the dish garlicky. We don’t add the garlic until this point as we don’t want it to burn.

Sprinkle flour over top and cook for a few more minutes. Then slowly stir milk in a little at a time, adding a little more as the milk starts to thicken. To add more richness you could add a small drizzle of heavy cream.

Is this pasta vegetarian or vegan?

Our creamy mushroom garlic pasta is a vegetarian meal. While mushrooms don’t have a lot of protein they have that meaty flavor so it’s a satisfying hearty dish. If you’d like to make it vegan you can use all oil in place of the butter, skip Parmesan, and use a non-dairy  milk such as coconut milk.

What protein can I add?

If you would like to serve the pasta with more protein but want to keep it meat-free consider adding white cannellini beans or a protein pasta. This Barilla Protein Plus, which you can find in many grocery stores or on Amazon, is a good alternative to regular spaghetti.

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta is great when you are craving a vegetarian meal with meaty flavor. Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes.

• Author: Ilona Orzechowska
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. butter
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 4 cups sliced white mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 freshly chopped parsley
• 16 oz. cooked spaghetti*

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a big skillet. When it’s heated, add sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5 – 7 minutes on medium-high heat until they get brown and softened. Add salt and black pepper, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes until juices evaporate.
2. In the last 30 seconds add minced garlic and stir.
3. Sprinkle flour over top, mix in, and cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
4. Slowly stir milk in a little at a time so the milk starts to thicken. Cook on low heat for about 2 – 4 minutes, whisking often.
5. Toss the sauce with cooked spaghetti.
6. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

If there is too much sauce for your liking, add an extra 1/2 cup cooked pasta, keeping in mind that the pasta will absorb the sauce after a few minutes.

Find it online: https://thecookful.com/creamy-garlic-mushroom-pasta/