Mushroom Alfredo

Mushroom Alfredo is a creamy and irresistible pasta dish where sautéed mushrooms are hugged in a velvety homemade Alfredo sauce.

You can make this easy pasta recipe in about 20 minutes for a meatless and satiating dinner.

The flavor and texture of sautéed mushrooms are a perfect flavor match to the heavy cream, butter, and parmesan in Alfredo sauce.

If you are vegan or dairy intolerant, you can easily make this recipe with non-dairy alternatives for the cream, cheese, and butter.

No matter which ingredients you use, this vegetarian dinner idea is rich, tasty, and so easy to make you’ll want to cook it every night.

Mushroom Alfredo sauce is a luscious dish for pasta lovers who want to eat more veggies.

As the mushrooms are hugged by generous amounts of sauce, it is also a great dish for picky eaters 💪.

Uh, and if you are looking for something lighter, check out our cauliflower Alfredo sauce without heavy cream.

Ingredients

Alfredo sauce is often served with Italian tagliatelle or fettuccine noodles.

Mushroom Alfredo is delicious with most long–shaped pasta types. Try linguine, bucatini, bavette, spaghetti, and pappardelle.

Short pasta: use penne, fusilli, rotini or farfalle. The pasta will be delicious no matter what pasta shape you use.

Gluten-free: substitute gluten-free pasta for regular pasta to make this recipe gluten-free.

Vegan: typically fettuccine and tagliatelle contain eggs, look for an egg-free pasta to make a vegan dish.

Mushrooms

We recommend a mix of white and brown mushrooms, such as button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, baby Bella mushrooms, and portobello mushrooms. You can use fresh or frozen mushrooms.

Optional vegetable add-ins: Add in a handful of spinach or a cup of frozen peas.

Butter

Use unsalted butter (best if European-style butter) or non-dairy butter.

Cream

Use heavy whipping cream. Note that most Italians avoid using cream in their Alfredo sauce (Alfredo sauce was invented in Italy, but was made with parmesan and butter).

Dairy-free: Use non-dairy heavy cream. If you cannot can’t find non-dairy cream, substitute vegan cream cheese, which is easier to find in most stores.

In this case, you’ll also need a little plant milk to make the vegan cream cheese saucy.

Parmesan cheese

Grated parmesan (Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano).

For a vegan alfredo sauce, we recommend a vegan cheese that melts. I like Vio Life and Simply V, but there are many more.

Garlic

Grated or minced garlic is a classic in Alfredo sauce.

Nutmeg or lemon zest

To take this dish to the next level, add a small amount of grated nutmeg, which is a great flavor match with the butter and cream.

If you don’t like grated nutmeg, try a small amount of grated lemon zest.

Parsley

Fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped and added on top before serving.

Salt and pepper

Sea salt or, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Clean and chop the mushrooms. To clean the mushrooms, rub the dirt off with a paper towel if not soiled.

Try not to wash the mushrooms with water because they’ll absorb it, get soggy, and take longer to brown.

Cook the mushrooms in a large skillet with olive oil, salt, and pepper on high heat for about 5 minutes until well browned. Stir often.

The mushrooms will release water. Keep cooking them until all the water is gone and they start sticking to the pan.

Brown the mushrooms on medium heat on the dry pan for another few minutes. Brown color equals flavor.

Add butter and grated garlic, and sauté for one minute, stirring often. Now, you can cook the pasta in a large pot with plenty of salted water.

Add the heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the cream thickens.

Turn the heat off and add the parmesan cheese and grated nutmeg. Stir the parmesan in the sauce until it melts.

When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the mushroom Alfredo sauce. Add some pasta cooking water if the sauce gets too thick.

Stir the pasta in the sauce until fully coated, then serve immediately.

Tip: If your pasta gets thick and pasty, add a ladleful of pasta cooking water to thin it up.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.

This pasta recipe is a protein-rich vegetarian meal that Louise and I serve with a side salad:

• Shaved Brussels sprouts salad
• Simple side salad
• Italian pear salad
• Fennel salad
• Red cabbage salad
• Vinegar coleslaw

If you want a lighter alternative to Alfredo sauce, try our cauliflower alfredo. We substitute blended cauliflower and ricotta cheese for the heavy cream and butter.

Alfredo with broccoli florets

Obviously, we are obsessed with adding veggies to our food, and there is no better way to get your greens than adding them to a creamy pasta dish.

It’s a variation of our cauliflower Alfredo, it’s with broccoli florets, and it’s delicious.

Storage

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Pasta

Vegan Mushroom Pasta

Sauces

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Starters

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For many more 30-minute meal ideas, check out our 30-minute meal category page.