Name: Creamy mushroom pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 6 oz dry tagliatelle or fettuccine; 8 oz mushrooms, sliced; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 0.3333333333333333 cup heavy cream; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.125 tsp black pepper

Pasta with browned mushrooms and a modest cream sauce loosened with pasta water. This version is written for two people, with ingredient quantities that you can scale using the recipe card. Read the whole method before heating your pan so you can prepare the ingredients in the order they are used. Cooking times are estimates and should be checked against the doneness cues in the instructions.

What makes this dinner work

Give mushrooms room and time to lose their moisture. Adding cream before that point can leave a thin sauce without the browned mushroom flavor.

Pasta water is more controllable than pouring in additional cream. Reserve it before draining and add it gradually while tossing.

Before you start

Use a pan that can hold both mushrooms and cooked pasta. This is a dairy-containing sauce; alternative creams may behave differently.

Measure the sauce ingredients and prepare the vegetables before handling any raw meat or seafood. Keep the ingredient list beside you: changes in thickness, pan size and stove output can affect the cooking time. When multiplying servings, a second pan or separate batches may work better than crowding everything into the original pan.

Cooking and handling notes

Follow the preparation directions on packaged ingredients. Keep cooked food and preparation utensils separate from any raw animal ingredients in the kitchen.

The CDC guidance linked below covers keeping hands and surfaces clean, separating raw foods and refrigerating perishable food promptly. Check ingredient labels for allergies, including wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts and seafood where relevant.

Recipe card

Creamy mushroom pasta

Prep and cooking times are estimates.

Prep: 10 minCook: 20 minTotal: 30 min

People (servings)Amounts adjust automatically. Cooking time may increase for larger batches.

Ingredients

How to make it

Boil pastaCook pasta according to the package. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
Brown mushroomsHeat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until their moisture reduces and they begin to brown.
Add garlicLower the heat and add garlic for about 30 seconds. Stir in cream and a few spoonfuls of pasta water.
TossAdd drained pasta and toss gently over low heat until coated. Add more pasta water a little at a time if the sauce is too thick.
SeasonAdd salt and pepper to taste. Serve promptly; the sauce thickens as the pasta sits.

Make it work for you

Give mushrooms room and time to lose their moisture. Adding cream before that point can leave a thin sauce without the browned mushroom flavor. Pasta water is more controllable than pouring in additional cream. Reserve it before draining and add it gradually while tossing.