Lately I’ve been trying to take as many stupid walks for my stupid mental health (a funny/wonderful TikTok trend from over the winter) as possible because if the last two years have taught me anything, it is that outside time is a very key ingredient in me being a warm, upbeat, charming person, the kind of person who never hits her snooze alarm four times and then wonders why she’s always in a rush. Okay, fine, it’s not an exorcism, but it does feel surprisingly close. More often than not, I end up swinging through the Greenmarket, which leads to me bringing home whatever looked good that day — most recently, spicy arugula, pinto potatoes, fresh flowers, and a bag of fresh cremini mushrooms. A few days after that, almost without fail, I realize I have mushrooms to use and I’ve landed on a wildly simple pasta preparation that, in a rare moment of mealtime harmony, everyone eats willingly. Honestly, I should have led with this mic drop.
This is a non-recipe recipe, as in, maybe you’ll read and follow it once, but I hope you’ll take it from there after that. The base idea is to cook a thinly sliced vegetable in butter, olive oil, and garlic until it’s tender and well-seasoned with a concentration of flavor. I add a splash of wine or marsala for an extra layer, but it’s not mandatory. We then expand it into a sauce that stretches over pasta, and let them cook together for a minute until they’re harmonious. From here, you can add a big spoonful of something luxe — my favorite is crème fraîche but if not that, mascarpone or heavy cream would work. The result isn’t a creamy pasta, but one that tastes cozy and enriched. I always think it needs a little green on top and I get that from the chives on my terrace that come back every year despite the fact that they’re utterly neglected by me — the pot lost most of one side during construction last year, but they’re out there flowering this week like nothing happened. We should also be so inspirational, right?
More
Mushrooms
Weeknight Favorites
Previously
6 months ago: Fall Bliss Salad
1 year ago: Classic Shortbread
2 years ago: How I Stock The Smitten Kitchen
3 years ago: Braised Ginger Meatballs in Coconut Broth
4 years ago: Fig Newtons and Cripsy Tofu Pad Thai
5 years ago: Granola Bark
6 years ago: Caramelized Brown Sugar Oranges with Yogurt and Potato Pizza, Even Better
7 years ago: Why You Should Always Toast Your Nuts (Please!) and Obsessively Good Avocado-Cucumber Salad
8 years ago: Dark Chocolate Coconut Macaroons and Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
9 years ago: Spinach and Smashed Egg Toast and Bee Sting Cake
10 years ago: Over-the-Top Mushroom Quiche and Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch
11 years ago: Blackberry and Coconut Macaroon Tart
12 years ago: Baked Kale Chips and Almond Macaroon Torte with Chocolate Frosting
13 years ago: Artichoke-Olive Crostini and Chocolate Caramel Crackers
14 years ago: Spring Panzanella and Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
15 years ago: Arborio Rice Pudding and Gnocchi with a Grater
Simplest Mushroom Pasta
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound dried pasta, any shape you like
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
- 1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced thin (see note)
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Glug of dry marsala or white wine (optional)
- 1/3 cup crème fraîche or mascarpone, or heavy cream
- Handful chopped chives or parsley, to finish (optional)
- Grated parmesan or pecorino
Meanwhile, heat your largest sauté pan over high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms in as close to an even layer as possible and don’t move them for about 3 minutes, until they’re browned underneath. Sprinkle with garlic and a good amount of salt and pepper (seasoning is everything here) and give them a stir. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft and tender and any liquid expelled has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Add the marsala and cook, stirring, until it disappears. Taste the mushroom mixture; you want it very well-seasoned at this point.
Add your drained pasta and half of the reserved pasta water and cook, stirring, until the pasta absorbs most of the liquid, adding more of the reserved pasta water if necessary to keep it a little saucy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche. [If using heavy cream, because it’s thinner, I’d cook it it onto the pasta for 30 to 60 seconds on the stove.] Adjust seasoning, if needed, and finish with chives and cheese. Eat right away.
I’m making this asap! Do you have a preference for creme fraiche vs. mascarpone? Thanks!
I more often have creme fraiche around, I do prefer the slight tartness. [Also, I spread it on toasted sourdough under a poached egg yesterday with some of the arugula for lunch and I’m ruined. Butter, who?]
I do something similar, and I know it sounds kind of odd, but I often use cream cheese for that ‘little bit of something creamy.’ Tastes surprisingly lux.
Hi Deb! Thanks always for your great recipes! I frequently struggle to come up with a protein item to complement pasta dishes like this one. Any quick easy ideas?
Just FYI, the pasta has protein so you could make it a meatless meal.
What about throwing some white beans in this?
I would pair creamy pasta like this with pan-roasted or grilled chicken breast/thighs. If you have a sous vide machine, you could make sous vide chicken breast.
Quick, easy & super delicious! This will definitely be in the rotation going forward. I did 1.5 lb of mushrooms bc we love them. As Deb states, you have to make sure you season the mushroom mixture really well and taste it along the way. I used mascarpone, which was wonderfully creamy and let the mushroom flavor shine. 10/10!
I did the same, kids loved it
Thank you for this comment! Cream cheese was the only thing I had on hand and it was delicious!
I have been making something somewhat similar to this, but roasting the mushrooms in the oven with a full head or two of garlic and some balsamic glaze, with a log of goat cheese nestled in the middle.
When goat cheese is a puddle, stir in some just barely al dente pasta and a little pasta water to thin the cheese and coat everything. Serve over arugula with more balsamic glaze. SO GOOD.
I stole the idea from https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/2021/03/11/my-take-on-the-tiktok-baked-feta-pasta/
Hi Alison, Thanks for suggesting that goat cheese recipe, it looks amazing! I only do goat or sheep’s milk cheese and it is hard to know what is a good substitute for cream (maybe goat/dairy-free yogurt?) but logs of goat cheese are great!
Now I’ll have to try both Deb’s recipe and the one you suggested!
Thanks for that link! I do love the TikTok recipe in theory but in practice all those tomatoes hurt my stomach. I might try that this week (with some of Deb’s here suggestions incorporated).
We do this all the time with mushrooms, or broccoli, or greens. We add a heaping spoonful of white miso instead of dairy & it’s delicious.
ooo clever. I was considering some nondairy milk, but miso sounds amazing
deb – i recently made a mushroom pasta from food and wine that you make in one pot! you add the dry pasta, water and wine to the cooked mushrooms and cook it down to create the sauce, adding in the cheese, herbs etc at the end. check it out! https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/one-pot-white-wine-pasta-mushrooms-and-leeks
I love mushrooms so as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I was making it for dinner. Overall it was good but tasted a little one-note — not sure how I could have added more flavor. I do wish I had added the chives or parsley which might have helped. Also, I used sherry vinegar since I didn’t have cooking wine, but surprisingly that didn’t seem to amp things up very much. Maybe red pepper flakes next time? I do recommend using 1.5 lbs of mushrooms like Deb recommends. That felt like the perfect amount of mushrooms relative to the pasta.
Maybe a spoon of miso?
I’d second that. We’ve made Food 52’s miso mushroom pasta a number of times (with white miso rather than red) and even my picky kiddos have seconds: https://food52.com/recipes/77676-miso-mushroom-pasta
Yum, great idea!
When do you add the miso if you try it? I agree- the more umami the better!
I added a teaspoon of miso to this per the comments above, but I was underwhelmed by this recipe overall. It wasn’t greater than the sum of its parts, which I was hoping for, and which I’ve come to expect from SK’s sneakily simple but usually delicious recipes.
It needed a TON of salt, and I think next time I’ll roast the mushrooms.
Plus, if you use 1-1.5 pounds of mushrooms, what in the heck kind of ginormously wide pan are you using to fit them in one layer to get any kind of browning?
Circling back to say the leftovers were delicious! I added more salt and red pepper flakes and the garlic really shone in the 2-3 days after. I’ll def make this again!
I made my version of this recipe the day before Deb posted it. It’s kismet! We are plant based, dairy free and gluten free. So I have to adapt all recipes, Deb you’re an inspiration as you encourage us to be playful and experiment with your recipes. . As another commentator wrote, I always roast my mixed mushrooms crimini, shiitake, oysters., reduces the fat and released the richness of them. Since we Can’t eat alliums, garlic, onions shallots, etc (allergies to sulfur) I caramelized thinly sliced fennel bulb. Sautéed in vegan butter, then add spinach, dill nutmeg, haricot Verts, splashes of champagne or white wine. Soy free White Miso paste, made from chickpeas, by The Miso master. Sometimes I’ll add celery with the fennel. Sometimes snap peas, instead of green beans. Nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan finishes it nicely with more arugula and fresh herbs. Thanks Deb for your inspiration. P.S we too have wild chives and garlic ramps that return every year. Just Wish I could cook with them, :( alas they’re pretty to behold.
What do you prefer for the pasta element?
Ooh, I’ve been wanting an easy way to try fennel bulbs! Thanks for the idea.
I “accidentally” made this last week because I had started prepping your wild mushroom pate recipe…got to the blending stage and got interrupted. Tossed the cooked mushroom/shallot/Marsala mix into the fridge and it became the magic ingredient all week. Egg scramble? Add some mushrooms. Need some oomph with sautéed greens? Add some mushrooms. And the last day was pasta—took the rest of the arugula and put it in the colander before draining the pasta and then poured the boiling pasta water over it to wilt. Put the pasta and wilted greens back in the pot with some pesto and the rest of the mushrooms…stir to just warm the mushrooms and pesto. Top servings with Parmesan cheese (or more decadently with baby popcorn shrimp warmed in the toaster oven!). The perfect “get dinner on the table” companion. I’m definitely making more tomorrow.
Love this idea to wilt the greens this way. Brilliant!
My husband and I had that same walk lightbulb during dumb covid! We also love mushrooms – I will make this for sure. I will probably add a little truffle oil at the end with a little plain yogurt.
Did the yogurt work well as a substitute for the other dairy options?
I ended up using some heavy cream that needed to go – I did also add a little truffle salt at the end. I barely used any pasta water – like maybe a 2 Tbsp? and think that would work well with the yogurt/ truffle oil idea.
I tried this with Fage’s full fat Greek yogurt and it didn’t work very well — the sauce separated :( Still tasty and I still ate all of it, but the sauce texture is not ideal
Easy, quick and open to multiple variations. I like it. I’ll have to make it next time Dear Husband goes out of town on a business trip as he detests mushrooms. Sigh.
I make a similar version, and have added different combinations of zucchini, summer squash, bacon/pancetta.
One thing to be careful of — if you use a lot of salt in the pasta water, and you season the mushrooms, it can be too much salt. And I love salt. But do be careful.
This looks so good! I love mushrooms. My kids actually like the mushroom flavor but freak out if they actually see a mushroom. Wondering if I could grind them up in the food processor to make them think it’s ground beef. Worth a try for this wonderful dish!
Better than bouillon makes a mushroom base also. It’s really nice.
Made this! Loved it! Made as written with parsley instead of chives. Just my hubby and I, so we thought next time we’d reduce the amount of pasta and enjoy a bowl more heavily weighted with mushrooms. A squeeze of fresh lemon on top couldn’t miss either. Thanks for the delicious dinner!
This is sure to become a regular! It comes together quickly – so simple and satisfying. I used what I had on hand including a pound of white mushrooms, 12oz. box of farfalle, mexican crema in place of crème fraiche and everything else as stated in the recipe. With a salad and toasted sourdough it made a delicious dinner for three happy adults.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was good. I added in some dried thyme, red pepper flakes, and fresh spinach. Next time I make it I think I will add chopped, sauted shallot for extra flavor. It seemed a little bland. The ingredients used makes it similar to Chicken Marsala so adding some precooked chicken would be yummy too.
I really like these simple recipe posts! Thanks for sharing. This is the way I cook 90% of the time.
This looks amazing and easy. My husband loves mushrooms and I’m going to try making this for him during his “birthday week”.
I made this using fresh ricotta cheese. Worked well. Thanks for the recipe.
Made this last night and it was great! We had half a bundle of asparagus, and not a full pound of mushrooms, so I added the asparagus in with the mushrooms to saute and it was a winner! Nice and quick, the kids ate around the veggies but liked the flavor, so that’s a hit.
Question on kid eaters for this Deb – I love mushrooms and have started to get my older kids to eat them willingly from time to time, but my 5-yo is still a hard no. On that chance that you have a similarly picky eater in your household – do you find success in serving this and instructing said hypothetical picky eater to pick around the mushrooms, or are they too intertwined to make that a viable possibility. Signed, mushroom-lover-who-wants-to-make-this-for-dinner-without-separate-course-for-preK-tyrant.
My daughter is hugely picky but seems to like sauteed mushrooms, so we’ve gotten this to work. However, it depends on my mood. If I’m really craving something and no kid wants it, I’ll make it anyway and they’ll have to deal. Other times I’m convinced they eat more vegetables if they’re on the side, anyway, and don’t fight it. [We are not going to talk about the time I had the audacity to put broccoli in mac-and-cheese, instead of near it. Probably my biggest flop in years.]
I made this for lunch today but didn’t have Crème Fraiche or Marscapone so I used sour cream. It was yummy!
Made this tonight and loved it! It has an almost Stroganoff vibe to it — the sauce isn’t as heavy but the flavor profile is all there, especially if you go with crème fraîche and then chives as the finisher.
Only note I’d make is that even my largest sauté pan (an admittedly smallish 10-inch) was nowhere near big enough for this recipe. The mushrooms completely filled it before cooking down, which prevented me from browning them properly. They were probably more steamed than sautéed. And then a full pound of pasta absolutely overwhelmed it. I had to transfer the whole thing to a stockpot at that point or I’d have food all over the stovetop.
Next time I’ll just start in the stockpot, and I’ll focus on boiling off the mushroom moisture before adding extra oil and butter to brown them at lower heat — a trick I got from an old Cooks Illustrated recipe for sautéed mushrooms and thyme.
Can’t wait to experiment with this one a little more!
What are pinto potatoes?
Whoops! I’d meant to link to them. They’re my favorite tiny potatoes and I get them at Norwich Meadow Farm in the Union Square Greenmarket (but you can apparently order them online too, although I’m sure they’re a lot less at the stand). They are marbled red and yellow and have a pretty yellow flesh inside; they’re closest to a Yukon gold or German butterball. Can I live without them? Yes. Do I buy them whenever I’m there? Absolutely.
Just made this and I loved it! For two portions I used 150g of pasta and one 250g punnet of pre sliced mushrooms, which made this a super easy meal. Stirred in some frozen green beans when the mushrooms were nearly done, and used sour cream as the dairy. I have some Boursin in the fridge which I bet would work really well for this too!
Made this last night for dinner. We loved it. Added some onions and basil because I had them. Delicious and really only took 20 minutes thank you. Can’t wait to get the new book I have it pre~ordered.
I made this tonight and it was very yummy. I might do 1.5 lb mushrooms next time per her suggestion. The addition of creme fraiche, superb.
If you don’t have crème fraiche and marsala, I successfully subbed cream cheese and a little splash of sherry. It was a delicious comfort food dinner! Thank you Deb.
I saw this tiktok and found the recipe here :) will try tonight. Thank you for sharing
This is basically the vegetarian mushroom stroganoff I make on cold rainy days! It’s a great recipe for cozy vibes.
We made this, along with your Hummingbird Cake for our Mother’s Day treat this weekend, and both were perfect.
I enjoy your writing almost as much as I do your recipes. Thank you for maintaining this corner of the internet as a nice place to land!
Looks amazing. Could I sub whole milk greek yogurt for the creme fraiche?
It doesn’t always heat nicely like cream does — it might take on a curdled appearance.
So so so easy and delicious. My husband who hates mushrooms loved it! I used the porcini trumpets pasta from Sfoglini to up the mushroom factor – it was perfection. Will make over and over again!
Made your marbeled banana cake yesterday, and this today. Both very deliscious! Thank you for great reading and eating, all the way away in Sweden!
I’ve always loved mushroom and pasta. Because of this recipe, I’ll never cook mushroom pasta the same way ever again! Thank you for this! I can’t believe I’ve discovered your blog just recently. I’m looking forward to your next recipes! I’d also love to buy your cooking book! But may I know how to avail when I am in another country? Thank you very much in advance for responding! More power to you and your entries. <3
I’ve always loved mushroom and pasta. Because of this recipe, I’ll never cook mushroom pasta the same way ever again! Thank you for this! I can’t believe I’ve discovered your blog just recently. I’m looking forward to your next recipes! I’d also love to buy your cookbook! More power to you and your entries. <3 Also, could I sub Greek yogurt for the crème fraiche? Thank you very much in advance for responding!
Delicious. I substituted lactose-free cream+soft cheese for the creme fraiche and the second time around I caramelised one red onion and sauteed an eggplant until it fell to pieces to bulk up the veggie content. I would highly recommend using a head (or two!) of roasted garlic instead of fresh = )
Added some crumbled browned sweet italian sausage (turkey but I imagine it’s all good..). Fantastic! Thank you!
I’ve made this multiple times now but always with half&half and dry cooking sherry because that’s I always seem to have on hand, and it’s excellent every time!! (Tried it once with Fage full fat Greek yogurt and it didn’t work so well because the yogurt separated, for anyone wondering!)
Delicious! I only had portobello mushrooms, and I mistakenly thought I could cut them into chunks in the food processor (too lazy to slice them). Nope! Ended up with large crumbs. However…..I sauteed them as directed, and my husband told me afterward that he actually PREFERRED them this way, telling me he doesn’t care for the texture of mushrooms (surprise!) I didn’t have mascarpone, and I wanted some cheesy-ness, so I added a couple ounces of cream cheese and a splash of heavy cream to the sauteed mushrooms, then mixed that with some pasta water to coat the pasta. The dish ended up looking a bit like pasta with pesto, but it was wonderful. I’ll be using this recipe again.
So. good!
Hi, Deb
I haven’t checked your blog for a while, you no more talk about your children on this blog?
for sure, I like your recipes, so what do you think about including a small section about your family’s feedback on the recipes?
Just suggesting :)
Nadia
Thanks Deb
I enjoyed the creamy sauce and rich flavor of the crème fraîche, though i prefer the earthy and savory taste of the mushrooms mixed withe garlic.
I can’t print this recipe and I’m not having trouble printing other documents. It prints as black lines halfway across the document.
I made this tonight with cream cheese instead of creme fraiche and vermouth instead of marsala and it was delicious.
This came out perfect.. I omitted the wine, used heavy cream And a touch of cream cheese and it was the hit of the diner party! You need the large amount of mushrooms and really need to let them take their time browning.. yum.
Made this tonight as a variation to our favorite browned butter mushroom pasta since I had heavy cream. Kids loved it. I added a bunch of dried thyme and doubled the garlic. Happy I saved some butter! Topped with toasted panko seasoned with garlic, s&p for texture.
Made this tonight and did add two tablespoons of white miso (inspired by the comments) while cooking the mushrooms down, and used sherry vinegar instead of the wine/masala. Also used 1.5lb mushrooms per the note and two extra cloves of garlic and that was definitely the right amount for our tastes. My picky toddler asked for seconds. This was quick, flavorful and an absolute keeper!
Delicious, easy and I will make again and again–thank you. I mixed shallots with garlic and had Sherry on hand. Next time I will dbl the mushrooms! Yu,.
Is it possible to sub ricotta for the mascarpone? I have some on hand and would love to us it up…
This was a rare miss for me! I could see the vision, but a 1:1 ratio of pasta to mushrooms felt like an absolute mountain of barely-sauced pasta with a few delicious pieces of mushrooms scattered throughout.
I’d also consider the chives or parsley essential, not optional. It feels very one-note, and I think the herbs would really zing it up.
Made with 1lb mushrooms, crème fraiche, marsala, and no herbs. Next time I’d halve the pasta, keep the marsala and crème fraiche, add glorious handfuls of herbs, and probably have a lemon handy to zest or juice in towards the end.
Another fantastic, “easily modifiable” recipe for me! I halved the pasta to 1/2 lb, but kept the 1 lb of mushrooms. My “something luxe” was 3 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, which worked wonderfully. I served the pasta with a drizzle of black truffle oil at the table. It was delicious!
Made this with orechiette and it was great, added a can of cannelini beans for substance. Only downside – this does not reheat well. The pasta absorbed all the sauce in the fridge and then it got kind of grainy in the microwave. Definitely something to make and eat in one evening!
Oddly, this seemed to get tastier the longer it sat on the table. I put in a lot of cheese, but it still needed salt and pepper at the table. I used heavy cream, because that’s what I had, but think the tang of creme fraiche or sour cream would have been a tastier choice. Nevertheless, very satisfying and delicious.
I found this a little meh. I love SK and swear religiously by most of her recipes. I don’t get how the mushrooms brown in that first step – mine immediately started sweating so much liquid. Also, I felt like there were not enough mushrooms for the amount of pasta. Definitely okay, but not a keeper.
Yum! I toasted almonds in a butter/olive oil mixture to sprinkle on the top. We loved the added richness and texture. I have parsley, so I included that with the chives. For the creamy element, I splashed in a bit of half-and-half. My family and I loved it.
This was delicious! I loved it with chives – needs lots of salt so heed Deb’s advice about tasting along the way. Next time I’d use 2x mushrooms – I did 9 oz pasta with 1 lb mushrooms and it needed more mushrooms.