Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta (Printable)

Rich, velvety pasta with sautéed mushrooms and garlic in a luscious cream sauce. Perfect comfort food in 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle

→ Mushrooms & Aromatics

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small shallot, finely chopped
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Creamy Sauce

08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining in a colander.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown and their moisture has completely evaporated.
03 - Add minced garlic and finely chopped shallot to the mushrooms. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and the raw edge disappears.
04 - Reduce heat to medium. Add unsalted butter and allow it to melt completely. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and freshly grated nutmeg. Continue stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens slightly, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss thoroughly to coat with the sauce. Add reserved pasta water gradually, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce reaches a silky consistency.
07 - Transfer to serving plates immediately. Garnish generously with chopped fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese before serving.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in half an hour but tastes like you spent the evening cooking.
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta without feeling heavy or overthick.
  • Mushrooms get deeply golden and almost sweet when you resist stirring them too soon.
  • Its the kind of meal that works alone on a weeknight or plated up for guests on Saturday.
02 -
  • Don't crowd the mushrooms in the pan or they will steam instead of brown, turning soft and grey rather than golden.
  • Reserve pasta water before draining because its starch helps the sauce stick to the noodles without thinning out the cream.
  • Add Parmesan off high heat or it can clump and turn grainy instead of melting smoothly into the sauce.
03 -
  • Use a mix of mushroom varieties like shiitake, oyster, or maitake for deeper, more layered flavor.
  • Grate your own Parmesan instead of using pre shredded, which contains anti caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly.
  • Toss the hot pasta in the skillet for at least a full minute so the noodles absorb some of the sauce and everything melds together.
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