Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe

This creamy mushroom pasta is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that tastes like it came from your favorite local restaurant! Balsamic vinegar and garlic boost the umami flavor of the mushrooms to create a fully satisfying vegetarian meal. Sometimes creamy mushroom linguine can be a little too rich but this recipe relies on dried herbs instead of extra cream to make a sauce that’s flavorful and not too heavy.

 

You Will Love This

• Making a creamy mushroom sauce from scratch isn’t as hard as you think! The heavy cream thickens the sauce right up without having to use flour or make a complicated roux, which makes this meal simple enough for a busy weeknight dinner!
• It comes together quickly! A pasta this decadent seems like it should take a lot of work, but this creamy mushroom linguine is ready in about 20 minutes! Skip the drive-through after work and opt for a homemade meal that your family will love!
• It’s not too heavy. Some creamy pasta recipes leave your dish drowning in sauce, which leaves you feeling sluggish. This mushroom pasta, however, has enough creamy goodness to coat the noodles and warm you up, without weighing down the rest of your evening.
• If you loved this mushroom pasta recipe, be sure to check out my:
  • Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
  • One Pot Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
  • Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Pasta – I love to use linguine for this recipe, but feel free to use any of your favorite long noodles. Spaghetti, angel hair, bucatini, or fettuccine would all work great!
• Baby Bella Mushrooms – Baby Bella mushrooms (aka cremini or brown mushrooms) are the same variety as white mushrooms, but they are grown and harvested differently. They’re picked later so they’re allowed to mature with gives them a noticeably deeper flavor. They can also withstand cooking much better than white mushrooms which makes them perfect for this recipe. If you can’t find baby Bellas, you can use different kinds of mushrooms like Portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, or shiitake.
• Butter – You can use extra-virgin olive oil in place of the butter, but unsalted butter is going to give you the best flavor and texture for this dish.
• Garlic – Skip the garlic powder and opt for fresh sliced garlic instead. It’s going to give you the very best flavor.
• Dried Herbs – Dried thyme and dried sage are my two favorites for this recipe. Feel free to sub Italian seasoning or use whatever your favorite dried herbs are. If you’ve only got fresh thyme or sage, feel free to use those but keep in mind that you’ll need a bit more as the flavor of fresh herbs isn’t as concentrated as dried.
• Balsamic Vinegar – Balsamic vinegar is the secret ingredient that takes this mushroom pasta to the next level! It adds a delicious slightly sweet tang and really brings out the umami flavor of the sautéed mushrooms.
• Heavy Cream – A splash of heavy cream finishes this mushroom pasta and creates a deliciously luxurious silky smooth cream sauce. I do not recommend using milk as a substitute. You could sub with half and half but the sauce will be looser and not quite as creamy. If you want a lighter sauce, try subbing reserved pasta water for part of the heavy cream.

Instructions

Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions, just until al dente and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rinse and quarter mushrooms and add them to the hot pan. Sprinkle them with a couple pinches of salt.

Sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, allowing them to release their juices. Add butter to the pan and reduce heat to medium.

Once butter is melted add garlic, thyme, and sage along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.

Add balsamic vinegar and cook for about a minute, delgazing the pan and scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.

Add heavy cream.

Stir to combine.

Add cooked pasta to the pot.

Toss linguine in the mushroom sauce.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley! Feel free to add red pepper flakes if desired.

Tips

• Salt your pasta water! This is your first chance to season the pasta and it will go a long way in boosting the overall flavor of your dish! Add 2-4 tablespoons of Kosher salt to your pot of boiling water just before adding the pasta.
• Make extra! This balsamic mushroom pasta recipe makes just four servings, but it can easily be doubled (or even tripled) if you’re looking to feed more people—or just want some leftovers for easy meals during the week!
• Use all the mushrooms! If eight ounces looks like a lot of mushrooms on your counter, don’t worry. Mushrooms are 90 percent water, and they shrink significantly when cooking.
• If some of your mushrooms are smaller, just halve them instead of quartering them. You want to make sure that the mushroom pieces are about the same size so that they cook evenly!
• Don’t crowd the mushrooms! Remember to give your mushrooms some room in the pan. If they’re too close, they steam (90 percent water, remember) more than they brown and brown = flavor. If you need to, cook the mushrooms in batches and then add them all back in with the butter.
• If you aren’t worried about keeping this dish vegetarian, feel free to add grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, or sliced steak for some extra protein!

Washing Mushrooms

• There is a common misconception that mushrooms can’t be rinsed with water. Some folks recommend wiping the dirt off with a damp paper towel which while effective, can also be quite tedious.
• I recommend adding your mushrooms to a strainer and rinsing them gently with water. You may need to toss them around a bit to get all the dirt and debris off. Then allow the water to drain and use the mushrooms as desired!
• Even when rinsed with water, they will still sauté and caramelize beautifully.

Storage and Reheating

• Storage: Store leftover mushroom pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up a week.
• Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat. Add a splash of broth or water to the pasta to loosen it up. Cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper before serving! You can also reheat the pasta in the microwave.

FAQ

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This recipe was originally published in December of 2020. It was updated in February 2022 to help you make the perfect creamy mushroom pasta every single time!