Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Create a creamy mushroom pasta in under 30 minutes! Loaded with marinated sauteed mushrooms in a thick and creamy sauce made with whole-food ingredients, this mushroom pasta recipe is comfort food to die for!

Nothing screams comfort food like creamy mushroom pasta. So when I walked into the farmer's market, I found an array of mushrooms. Typically, I have to shop at an Asian market to find different types of mushrooms. Today, however, the farmers market surprised me with various mushrooms to cook my creamy mushroom pasta recipe. 

Jump to:

• The Benefits of Eating Mushrooms
• Mushroom Pasta Ingredients
• Mushroom Pasta Ingredients
• Mushroom Pasta Ingredient Substitutions
• Shallots and Leeks
• How to Make Mushroom Pasta
• Marinating the Mushrooms
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Vegan Pasta Recipes You'll Love!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

A beautiful, aromatic, creamy mushroom sauce coats hot-cooked spaghetti noodles in this quick dish. Although I chose spaghetti noodles for this creamy mushroom sensation, any noodle, shape and size, or gluten-free, can be used for this mushroom pasta recipe. 

The Benefits of Eating Mushrooms

I love mushrooms, but I've learned over time mushrooms should be cooked and never eaten raw.  Others debate this issue, but as a rule, I always cook my mushrooms. 

According to Joel Fuhrman, MD, in his article "Mighty Mushrooms: Boost Immune Function and Brain Health and Guard Against Cancer," claims mushrooms are one of the best sources of healing properties:

• Strengthen the immune system.
• Breast cancer prevention effects.
• Protects the brain from oxidative stress. 
• And mushrooms should only be eaten cooked. This is because several raw culinary mushrooms contain small amounts of a potentially carcinogenic substance called agaritine, and cooking mushrooms significantly reduces agaritine content.

With that said, I eat cooked mushrooms often and add them to many recipes. 

Mushroom Pasta Ingredients

Mushroom Pasta Ingredients

• Whole Grain Spaghetti: Whole-wheat pasta is made with the whole grain kernel, retaining what makes it most healthy and desirable.
• Mushrooms: I chose various mushrooms with different textures and flavors.
• Shallot: Shallots have a delicate and sweet flavor with a hint of sharpness, while onions bring a more intense heat. 
• Leek: Leeks taste like a mild version of an onion, with the same base flavor but far less intensity. They are delicate and sweeter than other members of their cultivar group. Traditionally, the white part and light green middle are eaten, while the green tops are often discarded.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh cloves of garlic as opposed to jarred garlic.
• Dry White Wine: I used a mini bottle of Chardonnay. I buy mini bottles of red and white wine, so I have it on hand for cooking.
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco because I often use it.
• Tomato Paste: The tomato paste gives the sauce a rich, robust flavor.
• Raw Cashews: The raw cashews provide the creaminess to the pasta; however, look below for ingredient substitutions for nut-free options.
• Nutritional Yeast: The nutritional yeast provides vitamin B12 and a cheesy flavor.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard gives the mushroom pasta a bold flavor.

Mushroom Pasta Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose any pasta type of shape you prefer.
• Any combination of mushrooms, or a single type of mushrooms work well.
• Red onion is often a substitute for shallots.
• Green onions substitute leeks in recipes.
• Garlic flakes, also called dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic, use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove. Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove. Garlic powder: Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
• Try alcohol-free white wine, white grape juice, or lemon juice instead of wine.
• Tomato sauce or even ketchup replaces tomato paste.
• Instead of cashews, use silken tofu, plain plant-based yogurt, sunflower seeds, or white beans for a nut-free option. Or use ¼ cup of flour of your choice.
• Miso paste, soy sauce, coconut aminos, or Tamari often replace nutritional yeast in recipes.
• Stone-ground mustard is an immediate replacement for dijon mustard.

Shallots and Leeks

I'm a savory sauce lover. However, making a healthy, savory sauce requires the right combination of whole-foods ingredients.

For instance, leeks and shallots work perfectly together to create the start of a beautiful, naturally flavored sauce. Then, the rest comes together in one pan.

Shallots are sweet and mild with a flavor of garlic and onions. The flavor is delicate, but the pungency is stronger than other onions.

On the other hand, Leeks have an even milder flavor and taste more like green onions.

Together, however, leeks and shallots create perfect harmony in a pan. 

But remember, leeks are very dirty with layers of hidden debris. As a result, be sure to cut the leafy ends and the end root.

Then, make a slit down the length of the leek, and wash the dirt between the layers. 

Once the leeks and shallots are minced, saute them with garlic and add a little white wine. 

As a tip, I buy mini bottles of Chardonnay for cooking to avoid drinking the rest (haha).

How to Make Mushroom Pasta

First, I used my Cuisinart  Mini Chopper to mince the shallots, leeks, and garlic. Even though you can dice the shallots and garlic, I prefer the smaller ones to avoid large chunks of either in the sauce. 

Once minced, I place the shallots and onions in a skillet and saute until the shallots are translucent and begin to brown in the pan.

Then, I add the white wine, which immediately causes the shallots and garlic to carmelize. Next, I add a little vegetable broth, reduce the heat to low, and allow the vegetable broth to dissipate before adding the tomato paste.

In the meantime, combine the raw cashews, vegetable broth, dijon mustard, and nutritional yeast, and blend using a high-speed blender until creamy. 

Then, add the cashew cream and whisk and add vegetable broth and tomato paste. In the end, the sauce will thicken as the ingredients are whisked together. 

Marinating the Mushrooms

To give the mushrooms a savory taste, marinate them before sauteing them and adding them to the creamy mushroom pasta. Also, I cooked the mushrooms separately to ensure they were firm in texture and cooked to a savory brown color. 

When the mushrooms are cooked and the pasta is drained, I add the noodles to the cooked sauce, tossing the pasta in the sauce. 

To serve, place the pasta tossed in the mushroom sauce on individual plates, top with sauteed mushrooms and garnish with parsley. I also serve it with roasted broccolini to eat my greens. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Marinating the mushrooms ahead of time gives them a bold, more pronounced flavor. However, you can saute the mushrooms without marinating them, and the dish is still divine.
• Instead of cashews, use silken tofu, plain plant-based yogurt, sunflower seeds, or white beans for a nut-free option. Or use ¼ cup of flour of your choice.
• If using flour instead of cashews, blend with a small amount of vegetable broth to avoid clumping.
• Please add additional roasted or sauteed vegetables if you'd like. For example, I love broccolini and cauliflower in this dish.
• Serve with a large Italian chopped salad or beet salad and some crusty bread.

Try this creamy mushroom pasta for a quick and easy meal in under 30 minutes! It's to die for!

Vegan Pasta Recipes You'll Love!

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