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Creamy Mushroom Pasta

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Try my Creamy Mushroom Pasta recipe, dinner ready in 20 minutes with a delicious brandy cream mushroom sauce.

I love mushrooms and this mushroom pasta recipe is delicious and creamy and very easy to make. It’s perfect for when you want a quick easy meal and delivers a tasty mushroom hit to your tastebuds!

Ingredients

Pasta – I have used dried spaghetti here but you could use tagliatelle or swap it up a bit with your favourite pasta of choice or use fresh pasta to make this dish extra special!

Chestnut Mushrooms – I like to use chestnut mushrooms as they have more flavour than regular white mushrooms and are easy to find in supermarkets. You can of course push the boat out and use wild mushrooms to make this dish for a special occasion.

Stock – I use chicken stock but you can equally use vegetable stock if that is what you have to hand. This forms the base of the sauce.

Double Cream – the cream is what gives the sauce its lusciousness and makes it velvety and rich

Garlic – I love to add garlic to my food and this creamy mushroom pasta sauce is no different. Garlic and mushrooms are a perfect match!

Brandy – this is my secret ingredient. You can make a delicious sauce without it if you don’t have any, but I like the mellow flavour it gives. Whiskey is also another great alternative.

Fresh Thyme and Parsley – I like to add herbs to my food for extra flavour. Thyme goes brilliantly with mushrooms and I like to garnish it with just a touch of parsley

Parmesan – I like to use this to garnish my finished dish and for a little parmesan hit

Close up of creamy mushroom pasta in a bowl, viewed from above

How to Make Creamy Mushroom Pasta

This recipe is very easy to make when you know how. Follow these steps for a delicious Mushroom Pasta Sauce (full instructions in the recipe card):

  1. Sauteing the mushrooms on medium-high heat for golden mushrooms. This first step is important to remove the water from the mushrooms and give them colour and intensify the flavour.
  2. Boil your pasta in well-salted water once you have started to saute the mushrooms
  3. Once the mushrooms have enough colour, add some minced garlic and thyme and cook for a couple of minutes
  4. Next comes the good slug of brandy and the option to flambe and show off if you are trying to impress.
  5. The addition of stock and cream, then a gentle reduction is needed before the pasta is tossed in the sauce.
  6. This sauce can be made into a vegan creamy mushroom pasta by substituting the cream for coconut cream or your favourite dairy-free cream alternative.
Sauteed golden mushrooms in a frying pan
Close up of creamy mushroom pasta in a bowl, viewed from above

Try Another Recipe

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Spaghetti tossed in a creamy mushroom sauce
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Creamy Mushroom Pasta, Mushroom Pasta Sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 150 g spaghetti pasta
  • 300 g chestnut mushrooms
  • Cup of pasta water
  • 100 ml stock
  • 100 ml of double cream
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Leaves picked from 3-4 thyme sprigs
  • Generous splash of Brandy

Instructions

  • Begin by slicing the mushrooms, around a 1/4 inch thick
  • Melt a table spoon of butter witha tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until it begins to foam and bubble
  • Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, tossing regularly. This should take around 7-8 minutes.
  • Once the mushrooms have started to cook, add your pasta to a large pot of well salted boiling water and stir
  • Once the mushrooms are coloured, add the minced garlic and thyme leaves and saute for a couple of mins to soften
  • Add the splash of brandy. You can either flambe (ignite and cook till flames subside) or just let it bubble away for a minute
  • Add the stock and then the cream and begin to reduce until thickened slightly
  • When the pasta is 1 minute from being ready, remove and add to the sauce in the frying pan and toss to coat the pasta
  • Using tongs, place into a pasta bowl or plate, garnish with some chopped parsley and a little grating of parmesan and black pepper

Notes

Tips:
  1. Add plenty of salt to your pasta water, the more the better. This will help to season your pasta. 
  2. Add butter to your olive oil for sauteing the mushrooms. The butter will help to give colour and flavour to the mushrooms
  3. Be careful when adding salt to the sauce – wait till you have reduced the sauce and it is ready before tasting and adjusting salt if necessary
  4. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water. This will help if you over-reduce the sauce, you can add a splash to maintain the right consistency of your sauce.
  5. Don’t overcrowd the frying pan when sauteing the mushrooms as they will steam instead of sear and not colour properly. Cook the mushrooms in two batches to ensure they turn golden.