I had a couple of lovely recipes planned for you this week but no matter how hard I tried I just could not make them look good enough. I’m blaming some weird winter light. So I gave up the ghost and shifted my focus to something different. Sometimes when I step away from something that’s not working out I end up with something even better. And this is why I’m bringing you this Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta today. This is my favourite kind of comfort food, for days when things just don’t go my way.
This garlic mushroom pasta is creamy, garlicky and herby and is ready in 20 minutes. So quick and easy to make this is perfect for busy weeknights and perfect for mushroom lovers. I don’t know if there is anything more comforting than a creamy pasta dinner. Add a hint of cheese and some toasty pine nuts and you have a very tasty dinner.
I use chestnut mushrooms for this as they have more flavour but white button mushrooms work well too. If you do use button mushrooms then leave the small ones whole. Three fat cloves of garlic give this garlic mushroom pasta just the right amount of garlic. If your cloves are small I would go ahead and add four. A good hard Italian cheese added to the cream adds a lovey cheesiness to the sauce, pecorino is my choice here as it’s vegetarian.
Thyme is a mushrooms best friend, with butter coming in at a close second, so I haven’t skimped on these. There is something very lovely about mushrooms cooked in butter, so I recommend using a good quality salted butter. The Irish kind is my go-to butter, always. Parsely and toasty pine nuts finish off this cosy dish, with a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper.
I hope you love this as much as we do, in the meantime, I will try again with those other recipes, a second look is worth it. I’m also working on some festive recipes at the moment so if there are any dishes you’d like to see do drop a note in the comment section below.
What’s so good about this Garlic Mushroom Pasta?
- It’s creamy and rich and comforting
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Perfect for busy weeknights
- It’s really tasty, I mean, all the garlic?! Yass!
- Under 400 calories per serving
- You’re getting all of your RDA of Vitamin D in one bowl
Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
Creamy garlic mushroom pasta, a quick and tasty dinner. Garlicky mushrooms in a creamy sauce with herbs and chunky pasta. Perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 750 g chestnut mushrooms wiped clean then sliced, not too thinly
- 70 g butter
- 2 shallots (60g) sliced thinly
- 1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 fat cloves of garlic minced
- 150 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 40 g pecorino cheese (hard Italian cheese) finely grated + more for serving
- 3 tbsp pinenuts toasted
- 1 heaped tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
- A small pinch of sea salt
- 250 g rigatoni pasta (dry weight)
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a large saute pan.
Add the shallots, thyme and mushrooms and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Don't stir the mushrooms too much.
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Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
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Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the cream then add the cheese, stir and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and pepper.
Add about 30 ml of water from the pasta to the mushroom sauce, stir until it is incorporated into the cream then turn down the heat.
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Drain the pasta, then add it to the mushroom sauce. Add the parsley and pine nuts and stir.
Check the seasoning.
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Serve immediately with grated pecorino cheese and a grind or two of black pepper.
Recipe Notes
- Calories are approximate and are based on 4 servings. They do not include any extra cheese added to the finished meal.
- If you want to make this gluten-free, then swap the rigatoni for your favourite gluten-free pasta.
- I don't recommend freezing this dish.
More tasty vegetarian pasta dishes:
- Vegetable Pasta Bake with Cheesy Topping
- Vegetarian Bolognese with Lentils
- Vegetarian Lasagne
- Creamy Kale and Mushroom Pasta Bake
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food.
