Pasta & risotto Italian-inspired
Creamy mushroom pasta
Button and oyster mushrooms in a silky cream and parmesan sauce, brought together with starchy pasta water – on the table in 30 minutes.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Button mushroom
This is a weeknight saviour: your prep is done by the time the water boils, and the sauce is ready before the pasta is. Using two kinds of mushroom adds both flavour and texture – the button mushrooms stay soft and meaty while the oyster mushrooms crisp up at the edges.
The real trick is the pasta water. Its starch binds the cream and cheese into a glossy sauce that coats every strand without feeling heavy.
Ingredients
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Pasta
Sauce
To serve
Method
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-
Bring 3–4 litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Meanwhile, wipe the mushrooms, slice the button mushrooms and tear the oyster mushrooms into strips. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
~10 min -
Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the mushrooms in two batches in a single layer, about 4 minutes each, until golden and crisp at the edges, then lift onto a plate. Meanwhile, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet says.
~8 min -
Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining butter to the pan. Soften the onion for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute until fragrant.
~3 min -
Pour in the cream, return the mushrooms and simmer gently for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens a little. Before draining the pasta, scoop out a cupful of the starchy cooking water.
~3 min -
Drain the pasta and tip it straight into the sauce. Add the parmesan and half the reserved pasta water and toss vigorously over the heat for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the pasta. Loosen with more water a splash at a time if needed, then season with salt and pepper.
~4 min -
Divide between warm plates, scatter over the parsley, a little lemon zest if you like and more parmesan, and serve straight away.
~2 min
Enjoy!
The mushroom in this recipe
Mushroom swaps
Shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodesUse instead of the oyster mushrooms; discard the stalks for a deeper-flavoured sauce.
King oyster mushroom Pleurotus eryngiiCut into thick rounds; they stay meaty and firm.
Chestnut / cremini mushroom Agaricus bisporusCan replace all the mushrooms for an earthier flavour.
Tips
- Always brown the mushrooms before the cream goes in – raw mushrooms will water down the sauce.
- Salt the pasta water generously; it seasons the sauce too.
- For a lighter version, replace half the cream with pasta water and add a bit more parmesan.
Storage
Best eaten straight away. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or milk. Cream sauces split when frozen, so we don't recommend freezing.
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Kitchen guides
Before you cook: clean, store, dry
How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.
How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.
How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.