Creamy Mushroom Tagliatelle

This creamy mushroom pasta tosses ribbons of tagliatelle in a sauce of browned mushrooms, garlic, thyme, cream and parmesan, loosened with a splash of pasta water so it coats every strand. It takes about 30 minutes and serves 4. The secret is browning the mushrooms properly before anything else goes in the pan, which gives the sauce a deep, savory flavor.

• Serves: 4
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 300 g (10.5 oz) dried tagliatelle or fettuccine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mushrooms, such as cremini (chestnut) or white, sliced
• 1 small onion or 2 shallots (about 60 g), finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried
• 150 ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream (double cream)
• 50 g (½ cup) finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Salt for the pasta water

Method

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, in two batches if your pan is small. Leave them alone for 3 minutes until browned underneath, then stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more, until golden and any liquid has cooked away.
3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet, usually 8 to 10 minutes for dried tagliatelle, until just tender. Before draining, scoop out 250 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water.
5. Pour the cream into the mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with the salt and plenty of pepper.
6. Add the drained pasta, the parmesan and about 120 ml (½ cup) of the reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the pasta. Add a little more water if it looks thick.
7. Stir in the parsley and serve straight away with extra parmesan and black pepper.

Tips for the best result

• Don’t crowd the pan. Mushrooms release a lot of water. Packed too tightly, they steam and turn grey instead of browning.
• Salt the mushrooms at the end of browning, not the start, because salt draws out their water and slows browning.
• Keep the pasta water. Its starch helps the cream, cheese and pasta come together into a smooth sauce instead of a thin, oily one.
• Mix your mushrooms. A handful of shiitake, oyster or rehydrated dried porcini adds more depth.
• Grate the parmesan finely so it melts into the sauce rather than clumping.

Swaps and variations

• Mushroom and spinach pasta: stir 100 g (3½ oz) of baby spinach into the sauce in step 6 and toss until it wilts. Our guide to leafy greens explains what spinach adds.
• Lighter version: use half-and-half or light cream, or replace half the cream with extra pasta water and a little more parmesan. The sauce will be thinner but still coats the pasta.
• Vegetarian: traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you.
• With chicken: add 2 sliced, cooked chicken breasts with the pasta in step 6.
• Gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta, and cook it carefully, as it can go soft quickly.
• Other pasta shapes: pappardelle, linguine or rigatoni all work.

Storage and reheating

Creamy pasta is best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep. Cool them and put them in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking, then eat them within 3 to 4 days, as the USDA’s leftovers guidance recommends. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or milk, stirring until steaming hot all the way through. Cream sauces can split if reheated too fast. Freezing isn’t recommended, because the sauce turns grainy when thawed.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

These figures are estimates calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the ingredients above. They include the ½ teaspoon of salt in the sauce and the parmesan, but not salt the pasta absorbs from the cooking water.

This is a rich dish, mostly because of the cream, butter and cheese. Serving it with a big green salad and slightly smaller pasta portions is an easy way to balance the meal.

Contains: wheat (gluten) and milk, plus egg if you use egg pasta. Check the labels on packaged ingredients if you’re cooking for someone with an allergy.

What to serve with it

• A crisp green salad with a sharp lemon or vinegar dressing, to cut through the cream. Our strawberry arugula salad works well.
• Roasted broccoli or green beans.
• A glass of cold water with lemon.

For more weeknight dinners, browse our food and recipes section.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Nutrition figures are estimates from USDA FoodData Central and will change with the brands and amounts you use. If you follow a diet for a medical reason, check the recipe with your doctor or dietitian.