Mushroom Alfredo

Pasta with Alfredo sauce is a popular Italian-inspired American recipe. And while the original recipe for tagliatelle Alfredo is delicious as is, we love it even more with added veggies.

If you are wondering how to add mushrooms to Alfredo sauce, you are in the right place.

In this blog post, you'll learn how to make Alfredo sauce with sautéed mushrooms, which are a perfect flavor and texture to match the cream, butter, and parmesan in Alfredo sauce.

This recipe is not the usual plant-based recipe you'd find on this site, as it contains mainly dairy and some mushrooms.

However, you can make it dairy-free by substituting dairy-free/vegan heavy cream, butter, and parmesan for their dairy counterparts.

No matter which ingredients you use, this pasta is rich, creamy, smooth, tasty, and so easy to make you'll want to do it every night. It's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Pasta

Alfredo sauce is often served with fettuccine. However, this recipe is delicious with most long-shaped pasta types. Try linguine, tagliatelle, bucatini, bavette, spaghetti, and pappardelle.

Can you make mushroom Alfredo with a short pasta type? Sure, go ahead and use whatever pasta you have, from penne to fusilli, rotini to farfalle. It's going to taste delicious no matter what pasta you use.

Substitute gluten-free pasta for regular pasta to make this recipe gluten-free.

Mushrooms

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

Butter

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

Cream

Use heavy cream or dairy-free heavy cream. If you can't find dairy-free dairy cream, you can replace it with vegan cream cheese, which is easier to find in stores. Of course, you'll need a little milk to make it saucy if you use vegan cream cheese.

Parmesan cheese

Grated parmesan (Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano) or vegan parmesan.

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 if they are not pre-chopped. To clean the mushrooms, rub the dirt off with a paper towel if they are not too soiled.

Try not to wash the mushrooms with water because they'll absorb it, get soggy, and not brown the same way.

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

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

Keep browning the mushrooms on medium heat on the dry pan for another couple of minutes - brown color equals flavor.

Add the butter and grated garlic, and sauté for one minute, stirring often.

Now you can boil the pasta in a large pot with plenty of heavily salted water.

Add the cream and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the cream thickens up a little.

Now, off the heat, add the parmesan cheese and the grated nutmeg. Melt the parmesan in the hot cream off the heat; then, you are ready to add in the pasta.

When the pasta is al dente (with a bite), drain it and add it to the mushroom Alfredo sauce. Reserve one cup of pasta water in case your sauce gets too thick.

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

Tip: if your pasta gets thick and pasty, you can add a couple of tablespoons of pasta cooking water to thin it up.

You can sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, grated parmesan, and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.

This pasta Alfredo recipe is a quick dinner idea that you can serve on its own or pair with a veggie-packed side dish, for example:

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with a mustard vinaigrette
• Simple side salad with leafy greens
• Delicious pear salad with mixed salad greens
• Baked broccoli with a garlic-lemon marinade
• Garlic roasted cauliflower florets
• Fennel salad with orange wedges and pomegranate seeds
• Red cabbage salad with orange and pinto beans
• Roasted butternut squash - tender and aromatic

Variations

Double Cauliflower Alfredo

Try this lighter version of pasta Alfredo with a steamed and blended cauliflower sauce.

Alfredo with broccoli florets

Get your greens while eating a creamy bowl of pasta with this cauliflower Alfredo variation.

Refrigerator: mushroom alfredo pasta doesn't store well because it gets sticky and pasty, so we recommend trying to avoid leftovers.

If you have some leftovers, let them cool down completely at room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Then, reheat on a pan with a dash of water or milk.

Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Tips

• Brown the mushrooms: make sure they are well browned on a hot pan to make them flavorful.
• Add parmesan with heat off: parmesan cheese tends to get lumpy if added with the heat on. This is true for many recipes such as risotto, cacio e pepe, and more. The solution is to add the parmesan to the hot cream off the heat.
• Serve immediately: don't let your mushroom Alfredo pasta sit in the pan; it'll thicken up and get all sticky and pasty.

Questions

If you love mushrooms, get inspiration from these easy mushroom recipes with few ingredients:

• Mushroom risotto: authentic Italian flavor with plenty of chewy mushrooms
• Easy mushroom pasta with cherry tomatoes, a restaurant-worthy pasta dish!
• Tofu mushroom cutlets: an easy dinner idea ready in 20 minutes
• Kung pao tofu with mushrooms and a sweet and sour sauce

More easy pasta recipes

Love pasta and only have 30 minutes? Not a problem, these quick and easy pasta recipes are perfect for weeknight dinners:

• Garlic and oil pasta: a classic Italian dish with plenty of garlic, parsley, and flavor
• Mashed broccoli pasta with 6 ingredients only and an easy sauce-technique
• Chickpea pasta salad: a favorite lunch idea and meal-prep-friendly recipe, ready in just 20 minutes!
• Zucchini pasta: a vibrant green pasta with grated zucchini and a cheesy taste
• Spaghetti pomodoro: 15 minutes of cooking, and this tomato-rich pasta is ready!
• Penne arrabbiata: authentic Italian flavor and fiery tomato sauce in just 20 minutes
• Red pepper pasta: use canned bell peppers, and make this creamy sauce in just 20 minutes!

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