Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta (Printable)

Rich, velvety pasta with golden mushrooms and garlic in luscious cream sauce. Vegetarian comfort food ready in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle

→ Mushrooms & Aromatics

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Creamy Sauce

08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving

# Directions:

01 - Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until golden and their moisture has completely evaporated.
03 - Add shallot and garlic to the skillet. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
04 - Reduce heat to medium. Stir in butter, allowing it to melt completely. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
05 - Add grated Parmesan and nutmeg, stirring until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Add drained pasta to the skillet. Toss thoroughly to coat, adding reserved pasta water gradually as needed to achieve a silky sauce consistency.
07 - Serve immediately while hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley and additional grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like youve been simmering sauce all day, but youre done in half an hour with one skillet and a pot.
  • The mushrooms get deeply caramelized and almost meaty, turning even skeptics into fans.
  • Youll have that restaurant quality creaminess without any flour based roux or complicated steps.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully with just a splash of milk, which almost never happens with cream sauces.
02 -
  • Do not add the cream until the mushrooms are properly golden, or you will end up with a watery, pale sauce that never quite comes together.
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain, I have forgotten it more times than I care to admit and regretted it every single time.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts smoothly, while the pre shredded kind can make the sauce grainy and weird.
  • If the sauce breaks or looks oily, a splash of pasta water and some vigorous stirring usually brings it back.
03 -
  • A splash of dry white wine added after the mushrooms are golden and before the cream creates an extra layer of flavor that feels fancy but takes no extra effort.
  • Use a large skillet so the mushrooms have room to brown instead of steaming, crowding them in a small pan leads to that watery mess I mentioned earlier.
  • Toss the pasta in the sauce off the heat if you are nervous about it thickening too much, the residual warmth will finish the job without risk of overcooking.
  • Taste the sauce before adding salt, Parmesan is already salty and it is easy to overdo it if you are not careful.
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