The other day I was updating my blog post for Mushroom Herb Gravy in anticipation of the Thanksgiving season, and while I sat there trying not to drink the gravy straight from the skillet, I thought, “Maybe I can turn this into a pasta sauce…” And so I did. With the addition of a little cream for body and some lusciously thick fettuccine to sop up the delicious sauce, this Creamy Mushroom Herb Pasta was born.
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Weeknight Gourmet
This rich and creamy pasta is so fast and simple you could easily make it on a weeknight. Add some homemade garlic bread and a simple green salad on the side and you have a meal worthy of any restaurant… except you did it yourself. And for half the money. Eat that pasta, girl. You deserve it.
What Kind of Mushrooms are Best?
I used regular white button mushrooms for this Creamy Mushroom Herb Pasta, but if you have room in your budget you can use something like baby bellas or full sized portobella mushrooms (sliced down to size). You’ll get more color and a slightly deeper flavor with the bellas.
Do I Have to Use Fresh Thyme?
You don’t have to, but you’ll definitely get a much better flavor with fresh thyme in this dish. And while I used rubbed (dried) sage, if you have fresh sage on hand, I would definitely use that. You’ll only need about one to two sage leaves, minced.
Creamy Mushroom Herb Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz mushrooms ($1.99)
- 12 oz fettuccine ($0.75)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 3 Tbsp butter ($0.33)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth ($0.19)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried) ($0.32)
- 1 tsp rubbed sage ($0.10)
- 1/2 cup half and half ($0.62)
- Salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Wash the mushrooms to remove any dirt or debris, then thinly slice them.
- Begin cooking the fettuccine according to the package directions. Cook the pasta just until al dente, then drain in a colander. The pasta will continue to soften slightly once it’s in the creamy mushroom herb sauce, so do not overcook it.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until fragrant and tender. Do not let the butter or garlic turn brown.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms have turned dark brown and all of the moisture they release has evaporated (5-7 minutes). Turn the heat down slightly to medium-low, add the flour, and continue to sauté until the flour begins to coat the bottom of the skillet and turns golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).
- Whisk the vegetable broth into the skillet with the flour and mushrooms. Whisk until all the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the skillet. Add the thyme, sage, and some freshly cracked pepper. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the sauce to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken.
- Stir the half and half into the sauce and allow it to return to a gentle simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt or pepper as needed (the amount of salt needed will depend on the type of broth used. I added approximately 1/4 tsp).
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce in the skillet. Toss to coat and allow the pasta to heat through over medium-low heat. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid and flavors, and further thicken the sauce. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Creamy Mushroom Herb Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Start by washing 8oz. of mushrooms to remove any dirt, then slicing them thinly. Also mince two cloves of garlic.
Begin cooking 12oz. of fettuccine according to the package directions. Cook only until al dente, as the pasta will continue to soften a bit once it’s in the creamy mushroom herb sauce. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the sauce. Add 3 Tbsp butter and two minced cloves of garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic in the butter over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until it’s soft and fragrant. Don’t let the butter or garlic brown.
Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes. As the mushrooms wilt, they will begin to release water and the water will begin to pool in the skillet. Just keep sautéing until all that water has evaporated and only the mushrooms and butter remain. You want to cook out ALL the moisture.
Once all the moisture is cooked out, turn the heat down a touch to medium-low, add 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes. The flour will create a paste around the mushrooms. Just keep sautéing until the flour begins to coat the bottom of the skillet and the flour on the mushrooms loses its white-ish color. Toasting the flour like this gives the sauce better flavor and removes that pasty, flour-like taste.
Whisk in 1.5 cups vegetable broth. Whisk really well until all the flour has dissolved off the bottom of the skillet.
Add a couple sprigs of fresh thyme (or about 1/4 tsp dried), 1 tsp rubbed (dried) sage, and some freshly cracked pepper. Stir in the herbs, turn the heat up to medium, and let the sauce come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken. If you don’t want to bother with fishing out the thyme stems later, you can just pull the leaves from the stems before adding them.
Once the sauce has thickened, stir in 1/2 cup half and half, and allow it to come back up to a gentle simmer.
Finally, give the sauce a taste and add salt or pepper if needed. The amount of salt needed will depend on the salt content of your broth. I added about 1/4 tsp salt. Remember, you want the sauce to be seasoned a little on the heavy side as the flavor becomes a little less dramatic once the pasta is added.
Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta, toss to coat, and heat through. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce as it heats.
I garnished with parsley just because I had it and that’s always nice for photos, but it isn’t necessary. Parmesan is quite nice with this pasta, though.
Super dreamy Creamy Mushroom Herb Pasta!
This was delicious! I had some leftover poached chicken breast that just happened to have a thyme seasoning, so I cut it up and added it. Also, I accidentally grabbed linguine instead of fettuccine but it made no difference.
IDK My cat sitter showed up and I felt compelled to give it to her as I was so grateful for her watching the kitties. She keeps asking me for the recipe, though and I gave her your site address She said it was really good and she’s not even vegetarian
This was delicious, thanks! The only modification I made was to add a bit of lemon zest (0.5 tbsp) to give it a “fresh” kick. Yummy!!
Just delicious and so easy. I appreciate the detailed instructions and how they come after the initial recipe. Also appreciate you saying how much salt you personally used. Whenever I see “salt to taste” I’m like “Just give me a ballpark figure!”
I am diabetic, and other family members have tomato allergies, so I thought I’d try this. Do you have anywhere the total nutrition information for your recipes? I am planning to do this this weekend. I just was wondering how much is a portion size?
Delicious! Even without the thyme (I’m out). This is the first recipe of yours I’ve tried but I have a few more marked to try in the weeks to come. I love that you have so many vegetarian recipes on your site, and your directions are so easy to follow. Thank you!
Hey Beth! Would I be able to substitute whole wheat flour or cornstarch in place of the all purpose flour (that’s all I’ve got around the house)?
Love all of your recipes!
Well, whole wheat flour will make this pretty gritty, so I wouldn’t suggest that. Cornstarch doesn’t really brown the same way flour does, so you’ll be missing some of that flavor. Also, cornstarch produces clear, glaze-like thickened liquids, whereas flour makes a nice opaque mixture once thickened.
Made this for the first time for a late Sunday lunch/dinner. My wife just came home from 5K in 20 degree weather and we both love pasta.
Really terrific, we both loved it.
Awesome, I tried this recipe today and loved it, added onions an, green, red peppers in addition to everything else. Loved it!
I have to tell you!! I used the sauce for the broccoli bake at thanksgiving this year. It was ahhhmazing! Subbed the veggie broth for more half and half. I’ll never use cream of crap ever again!
Hi! Quick question—could this be made without the sage? That’s not usually something I have on hand but I don’t want to ruin the recipe by excluding it!
This site has introduced to me to cooking On my college and I’m so grateful! Thanks for your easy to follow instructions for newbies like me!!
Just made this, yum!
Bulked it up with 1/2 a leftover rotisserie chicken, two diced Roma tomatoes and a handful or two of spinach.
Loved this. I used commercial mushroom stock and threw in some frozen spinach. It was so rich and creamy. I got at least 6 servings out of this so I might use 10 oz of pasta next time.
Wonderful! I sauteed some chicken cubes before adding the mushrooms and added three chopped green onions as well. I love the sauce, this is going to go on to my regular roster.
I really like pasta and you took it to another level. Cant wait to try these later. Thanks
I love your blog and have tried several recipes. I’m definitely going to try this but I plan on substituting the half and half with plain Greek Nonfat yogurt. :)