Hands-down the BEST mushroom pasta recipe without cream! With a velvety sauce made with garlic, shallots, parmesan, red wine, and loads of mushrooms, this easy recipe is filled with umami-rich deliciousness.
If you’re a serious mushroom lover, this mushroom pasta recipe is calling your name. The key lies in the perfect 3:1 mushroom to pasta ratio. Yes, three times more mushrooms than pasta! Using a mix of white button, baby bella, and portobello mushrooms layers in earthy, umami depth in the best way.
A typical pasta with mushrooms would involve a heavy cream-based sauce that you would cook separately and then spoon over the pasta. I find that often times, this mutes the natural flavor of the mushrooms. That is why I personally prefer my sauce without cream.
Like my Spinach Pasta and Easy Lemon Pasta, I instead rely on a secret ingredient: the pasta’s starchy water. It acts as a natural thickener, bringing everything together without the need for cream or loads of butter. And with garlic, shallots, rosemary, parmesan, and red wine, there’s no way I want to dull all this flavor!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe is very flexible. Here’s what I used, and some easy swaps and substitutions:
- Pasta: Use any pasta you like. Toscani, penne, rigatoni, or even spaghetti would work great.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, and dried rosemary, and red pepper flakes perk up the flavor and add an aromatic quality. Swap the rosemary with dried thyme or marjoram if you’d like.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I love our rich and buttery Italian Nocellara with this recipe, but use any high quality variety you have.
- Butter: Just a touch of butter (1 tablespoon) adds richness. Swap with ghee.
- Shallots: Swap with yellow onion.
- Garlic: There’s no substitute for garlic in my world, but cut back the amount, trade with more shallot, or leave it off if you’re sensitive to it.
- Mushrooms: I combine textures and flavors with baby bella, white, and portabello mushrooms, but this recipe is forgiving. Use what you have.
- Tomato paste: Adds another umami layer.
- Red wine: I used merlot, but any pleasant dry red wine will work well. If you avoid alcohol, substitute chicken or vegetable broth.
- Grated parmesan: Brings yet another savory umami layer. If you can’t do dairy, just skip it.
- Parsley: Lifts the richness. Basil is the best swap here, but keep in mind the flavor will be more dominant.
- Walnuts: Swap with pine nuts or almonds, or simply leave them off.
How to Make Mushroom Pasta
This mushroom and pasta recipe is an easy one with two main components: the pasta and the mushroom sauce. Once you cook the pasta and sauté the mushrooms, everything will come together in one pan. Here are the steps:
- Get ready. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Mince 2 shallots and 5 garlic cloves. Slice 8 ounces each of baby bella, white, and portabella mushrooms. Ready yourself 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 chopped parsley, and 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.
- Cook the pasta. Add 8 ounces short pasta to the boiling salted water (like penne or rigatoni; I used Toscani). Cook to al dente according to the box instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water before draining.
- Meanwhile, soften the aromatics. In a large skillet, heat 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, tossing regularly for 2 to 3 minutes (manage the heat so that the garlic does not burn).
- Saute the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and toss for a couple of minutes, adding another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon dried rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss occasionally for about 7 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms turn golden and release their juices.
- Make the sauce. Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/4 cup dry red wine, and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes to reduce.
- Combine. Add the cooked pasta to the mushroom sauce and toss to combine. If the pasta looks dry, add a splash more of the pasta cooking water.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the parmesan and finish with the parsley, walnuts, and red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!
Tips for Cooking Mushrooms
Cooking mushrooms for pasta is simple. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Make sure the mushrooms are dry before you start. To clean off the dirt, wipe them clean with a lightly damp paper towel. If you wash them or submerge them in water, they absorb the water like a sponge. The final result will be squeaky mushrooms, not the texture you want.
- Do not slice them too thinly. You want the mushrooms to hold their shape. If you slice them too thinly, they will shrivel down to nothing. You’re looking for close to 1/2 inch, and no thinner than 1/4 inch (but it doesn’t need to be perfect).
- Good extra virgin olive oil is key. The bottom layer drinks up the oil or butter quickly, so you will need to add more. If you’re using just butter the sauce becomes overly rich.
- Season the mushrooms. A good pinch of kosher salt helps coax out the moisture for savory and tender mushrooms.
Mushroom Pasta Serving Suggestions
Here’s how I would turn this mushroom pasta recipe into a complete meal for my family:
- Fresh salad: The crunch of my lemon parmesan lettuce salad would be a good contrast to the velvety mushrooms.
- To the side: You certainly don’t need it, but no one has complained about freshly baked garlic bread.
- For dessert: Keep it light with lemon sorbet. Or, if pears are in season, use the rest of the wine bottle to make these delicious poached pears.
More Weeknight Pasta Recipes
I’m all about Mediterranean pasta recipes with simple ingredients that you can get on your table in well under an hour. Here are some more favorites:
Love Mushrooms? Try These Next!
Soups and Stews
Easy Creamy Mushroom Soup (No Cream Required!)
Italian
Mushroom Risotto
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
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Garlic Mushroom Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta, like penne or rigatoni (I used Toscani)
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces portabello mushrooms, roughly chopped
- Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry red wine (I used merlot)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup packed chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook to al dente according to the box instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, soften the aromatics. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, tossing regularly for 2 to 3 minutes (manage the heat so that the garlic does not burn).
- Saute the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and toss for a couple of minutes, adding another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with the rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss occasionally for about 7 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms turn golden and release their juices.
- Make the sauce. Add the tomato paste, wine, and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes to reduce.
- Combine. Add the cooked pasta to the mushroom sauce and toss to combine. If the pasta looks dry, add a splash more of the pasta cooking water.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the parmesan and finish with the parsley, walnuts and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and pasta used in this recipe.
- If you’re following the Mediterranean diet strictly, use whole wheat pasta. For a vegan option, omit the butter and use a vegan parmesan alternative or omit the cheese altogether.
Nutrition
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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
Made this recipe many times. Sometimes with one type of mushroom and loved it every time.
Sencilla y sabrosa, gracias por compartir
I found this as a “pantry pasta”. We did not have the full amount of mushrooms on hand but I followed the recipe otherwise and this was really tasty! I can’t wait to try it with all the mushrooms next time.