Description
A quick, 30-minute weeknight dinner featuring tender mushrooms in a rich, creamy garlic butter sauce tossed with pasta. This crowd-pleasing recipe uses simple pantry ingredients for a restaurant-quality meal at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter
- 6–8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound (450g) mushrooms (cremini and/or white button), sliced
- 1 pound (450g) short pasta (penne, rigatoni, or fusilli)
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (100g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Slice mushrooms, mince garlic, and grate Parmesan cheese.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While pasta cooks, heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in batches if necessary to avoid crowding. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to the mushrooms in the last minute of cooking to prevent burning.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in heavy cream and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Gradually add grated Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Add pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Adjust consistency with more pasta water if needed.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with extra Parmesan, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Notes
Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking mushrooms to ensure they brown rather than steam. Always remove the pan from heat before adding cheese to prevent it from becoming grainy. Use freshly grated Parmesan for the smoothest sauce. Save pasta water to help emulsify the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 350
- Fat: 22
- Saturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 52
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 16
Keywords: pasta, mushroom pasta, creamy garlic sauce, weeknight dinner, easy recipes, comfort food, Italian pasta, quick meals