Where are all of my one-pot pasta lovers at? This one is for you! This One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta is a super-rich, umami-filled delight that is, as always, easily prepared in one pot. It’s the perfect comfort at the end of a long tiring work day. And don’t forget to make a little garlic bread to serve on the side. ;)
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What Kind of Mushrooms to Use
I like baby bella mushrooms for this pasta because they are not too expensive and they have a nice deep color that adds a lot to the plate. You can use white button mushrooms if needed, but they do have a slightly more mild flavor. You could also use full-sized portobello mushrooms, just slice them into smaller pieces before sautéing.
Can I Substitute the Heavy Cream?
I use heavy cream in this recipe which creates a super-rich and luscious sauce for the pasta. Because it’s so thick, it also helps the Parmesan to melt into the sauce without clumping. Milk, which has a much higher water content, will produce a thinner sauce and you may have difficulty getting the Parmesan to melt in instead of clumping. One way I’ve gotten around this in the past is to use a combination of milk and cream cheese. The cream cheese both emulsifies the Parmesan and thickens the sauce (see how the technique is used in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta).
What Else Can I Add?
This creamy mushroom pasta is kind of a simple pleasure, but you can add more if you’re craving something more complex. Try adding in a few handfuls of fresh spinach toward the end for a little color. You could also top the pasta with some grilled chicken for a little more oomph.
What Kind of Pot to Use
I used a 3-quart deep skillet for this pasta, but you can use any pot or Dutch oven that has a wide bottom and a lid. Make sure to use a burner on your stovetop that is similar in size to the bottom of your pot or skillet to ensure even heating.
TIPS FOR COOKING ONE POT PASTAS:
Getting one pot pasta just right can take some practice, so if you find you’re having trouble, here are a few tips:
- Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Replace the lid each time to prevent excessive evaporation.
- Make sure the pasta is simmering the whole time. If the liquid is not simmering, the pasta will not cook. The temperature setting needed to maintain a simmer can vary depending on your stove top and cookware.
- Use heavy cookware. Skillets and pots that are thin on the bottom don’t heat evenly and do not yield good results with one pot pastas because some areas of the pot will be simmering, while other areas are not.
- Keep the lid in place at all times when not stirring. This holds in the steam and helps the pasta cook more evenly.
- Watch the pasta. One pot pastas are a little like riding a bike. You have to observe and adjust as you go. If the liquid is almost all absorbed before the pasta is tender, add a little more water. If the pasta is almost tender, but there is still a lot of liquid, allow it to simmer without a lid for the last couple of minutes.
One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms ($1.49)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 8 oz. fettuccine ($0.67)
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth ($0.33)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream ($0.26)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms.
- Add the butter and garlic to a deep skillet and sauté over medium heat for one minute. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté until the mushrooms have softened, all of their moisture has evaporated from the skillet, and the edges are beginning to brown.
- Add the fettuccine to the skillet along with the vegetable broth and stir to combine. It's okay if the broth doesn't fully submerge the pasta.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Continue to let the pasta simmer in the broth for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (always replacing the lid), or until the pasta is tender. There should be a little saucy liquid left in the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the heavy cream to the skillet and stir to combine. Turn the heat off then add the Parmesan and continue to stir the pasta until the Parmesan is melted. Give the pasta a taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately.
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Equipment
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
- Chef’s Knife
- Garlic Press
Nutrition
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How to Make One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Mince four cloves of garlic and slice 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms.
Add the garlic and butter to your skillet or pot and sauté over medium heat for about one minute.
Add the mushrooms to the skillet along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms have released all of their liquid, it has evaporated from the bottom of the skillet, and the mushrooms begin to turn golden brown on the edges.
Add 8 oz. fettuccine to the skillet along with 2.5 cups of vegetable broth. Stir to combine. It’s okay if the pasta is not fully submerged. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil.
When the broth reaches a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir to loosen any noodles that may have stuck to the bottom. Replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so that the broth maintains a simmer. Simmer the noodles, stirring occasionally and replacing the lid each time, until the pasta is tender. There should be a small amount of gravy-like broth on the bottom of the skillet.
Add ⅓ cup heavy cream to the pasta and stir to combine.
Turn the heat under the skillet off. Add ¼ cup grated Parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine. The residual heat from the pasta should begin to melt the Parmesan.
Give the pasta a taste and adjust the salt or pepper to your liking. I usually like to add a little freshly cracked black pepper on top for a little pop!
This recipe is beyond easy and cheap- and really tasty! I’ve made it a couple times now and I’m in love.
Super yummy! Accidently bought linguine instead of fettuccini, but worked out nonetheless. When cooking the mushrooms I ended up having to drain and had to drain a little broth at the end, besides that everything was perfect!
I made this tonight exactly as written and it was excellent. It tasted just like a mushroom fettuccine I had at a super nice restaurant in New York City. Absolutely delicious and none was left over after my family of four’s dinner! It came together quickly and was super easy to make. Thank you, Beth!!! I’m checking out your other recipes and will certainly be trying them.
This is so yummy! I’ve made it twice, the first time I doubled the pasta and not the sauce. It was okay. The second time I made the recipe as written with just a half pound of pasta. It was Saucy and overwhelmingly delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made the recipe as written. It was ok, a quick and reliable weeknight meal. In my opinion, it’s not worth repeating.
Delicious! I used rotini. The box recipe said 7 minutes and I think they went about 9-10 in the broth. I also added chicken tenders I fried up in butter and oil and some kickin chicken seasoning. Added them to the big pot about halfway through the pasta cook in order to warm them up. Thank you! So nice to be able to cook the pasta with the rest of the dish! Easy peasy!
Oh! I had half an onion in the fridge so I cooked that in butter and oil before adding garlic.
This recipe was fantastic! Creamy, mushroomy, garlicky, and filling! I truly loved every bite.
I followed the recipe almost exactly as written except for using gluten-free noodles instead of regular. For fellow GF folks, I used Tinkyada spaghetti noodles. I figured the gluten-free noodles would need more broth than regular but I started with 2 1/2 cups, as the recipe called for. I checked and stirred the noodles very frequently and I think that when I make this again, I can confidently use 3 cups of broth for this brand and type of noodle. As is typical with rice noodles, I had to stir them quite frequently to make sure they did not stick together. In the end the recipe came out perfectly.
I added a bit more salt and some chopped parsley that I happened to have on hand. I will definitely make this recipe again…and again.
A good, fast week-night meal. I used 16 ounces of mushrooms, added 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (sauted with the mushrooms) for extra flavor and color. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so good!! Im terrible at cooking but this was easy, cheap and delicious.
Great recipe I added spinach and shredded cooked chicken will need to make more broth for a main meal
This is one of my partner’s personal favorites so I try to make it often for her. It’s so simple and I love the fact that I only have to wash one pot! The sauce always comes out with great consistency. I pretty much follow the recipe exactly as is, except I sautee the mushrooms on very high heat and for less time to give them more color.
Simply delicious! I use half Better than Bouillon Beef and half Knorr Chicken Bouillon for the broth and it comes out great!
This is absolutly delicious ! Followed the recipe step by step and the pasta turnoud out super tasty and comforting. I wasn’t motivated to cook but the one pot part really helped. Made it twice in two days. Can’t wait to try another one of your recipe !
This was beyond delicious! I used better than bouillon chicken rather than vegetable broth and I added some thick asparagus when the mushrooms were 3/4 done. Everything else I followed exactly. I highly recommend if you enjoy these flavors!
Do you make this with dried pasta or fresh?
Dry pasta. :)