Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe — Easy Vegetarian Dinner

Some evenings you want something that feels luxurious but takes almost no effort. This Creamy Mushroom Pasta is exactly that — silky garlic cream sauce, perfectly sautéed mushrooms, and al dente pasta all come together in 25 minutes. It has become our Friday night favourite.

Ingredients

• 300g (10 oz) pasta (fettuccine, penne, or linguine)
• 300g (10 oz) mushrooms, sliced (button or cremini)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup pasta cooking water (reserved)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to serve (optional)
• Fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

1. Cook pasta: Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Sauté mushrooms: Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer — don’t stir for 2 minutes so they brown properly. Then stir and cook 3-4 more minutes until golden.
3. Add garlic: Add minced garlic and thyme. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Make the sauce: Pour in cream. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Combine: Add drained pasta to the sauce. Toss to coat. Add pasta water a little at a time if the sauce is too thick.
6. Serve: Plate immediately, top with parmesan and fresh parsley.

Tips

• Don’t crowd the mushrooms — cook in batches if needed. Crowding causes steaming instead of browning.
• The starchy pasta water is essential for silky sauce — don’t skip saving it!
• Add a pinch of nutmeg to the cream sauce for extra depth.