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    Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

    September 4, 2023 by Suzie J. Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This spinach and mushroom pasta with creamy parmesan sauce is rich, decadent, and full of Fall flavors. Pasta is tossed in a creamy parmesan sauce loaded with spinach, mushrooms, and sage. Then it's all topped with toasted pecans and more parmesan cheese for a cheesy, toasty crunch.

    this …

    This creamy mushroom pasta is a restaurant-worthy dish inspired by the flavors of Fall. Italian comfort food meets California cuisine in this impressive-looking, savory dish.

    Ready in under 30 minutes, you can serve this mushroom pasta after a long day or for a nice dinner party on a cold night to warm your belly! Serve this pasta with a nice glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir to compliment all the savory flavors of the parmesan cream sauce.

    Contents hide
    1 ⭐ Why You'll Love This Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe
    2 🔪 Equipment You'll Need
    3 🥘 Ingredients You'll Need
    4 💭 Tips and Tricks
    5 👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
    6 📖 Substitutions
    7 🍞 What To Serve With Creamy Mushroom Pasta
    8 🥡 Storage and Reheating Instructions
    9 📖 Recipe
    10 🍝 More Italian Recipes You May Enjoy

    ⭐ Why You'll Love This Creamy Mushroom Pasta Recipe

    • Ready in 30 minutes!
    • Perfect for entertaining.
    • Easy, step-by-step instructions.
    • Easy-to-find ingredients.
    • Full of savory Fall flavors.

    🔪 Equipment You'll Need

    • 1 - Dutch oven or stock pot for cooking the pasta.
    • 1 - Colander
    • 1 - Nonstick saute pan for making veggies and sauce.
    • 1 - Wooden spoon
    • 1- Chef's knife
    • 1 - Cutting board

    🥘 Ingredients You'll Need

    • Pasta - Use any pasta you like, but for a nice presentation, I recommend the Farfalle pasta. If you want to make this pasta extra festive, use the striped pasta for a little more color.
    • Mushrooms - I used shiitake mushrooms, but you can use, button, cremini, portobello, or even white beech mushrooms.
    • Spinach - Fresh spinach, you can also use defrosted 1 cup frozen spinach (drain well) instead.
    • Onion - Yellow or white onion, adds a subtle oniony, sweet flavor to the sauce.
    • Garlic - I use about 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on the size. If you are a big garlic fan, you can certainly add more!
    • Parmesan cheese - adds a nutty, cheesy depth of flavor to the dish.
    • Fresh Sage - adds an earthy, Fall flavor.
    • White wine - adds acidity and complexity to the sauce. If you don't drink wine, you can substitute chicken or vegetable stock plus a tablespoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice for a little acidity.
    • Heavy cream - adds creaminess to the sauce.
    • Pecans - add crunch, texture, and more Fall flavor.
    • Olive oil or butter
    • Salt and pepper

    💭 Tips and Tricks

    Prep all the ingredients in advance: Have all the ingredients out and set to the side of the stove before you start the sauce. Slice the mushrooms, dice the onions, and mince the garlic before you start cooking as well.

    Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking: If the sauce gets done before the pasta, leave it to simmer on low heat until the pasta is finished cooking. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining if the sauce starts to thicken too much.

    Salt the water for the pasta: Be sure to salt the water for the pasta well. It should taste like the ocean.

    Cook the Pasta Al Dente: The pasta will cook a little more in the sauce, so make sure you cook it to al dente so it doesn't overcook in the sauce.

    👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

    Start by cooking pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions.

    While the pasta is cooking, make the creamy parmesan sauce:

    1 - Over medium heat, add a teaspoon of oil to the non-stick pan and toast the pecans until just fragrant and golden brown, stirring occasionally, careful not to burn (3–4 minutes). Remove and set aside.

    2 - Add butter or oil to the pan and sauté the sliced mushrooms until golden brown. (6-8 minutes). Remove and set aside.

    3 - Add a little more oil or butter to the pan and sauté the onions over medium-low heat until translucent, 5–6 minutes.

    4 - Add minced garlic, sauté until fragrant (1 minute), and add wine. Increase the heat to medium and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.

    5 - Reduce the heat to medium-low, add sage, cream, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer and reduce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    6 - Stir in the parmesan cheese and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

    7 - Stir in the spinach and cooked mushrooms and cook another 1-2 minutes.

    8 - Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan, stir to combine everything well, and cook another 1-2 minutes until warmed through.

    Add to a serving dish, if desired, and top with toasted pecans, parmesan cheese, and fresh sage leaves.

    📖 Substitutions

    • Spinach: Replace with kale or chard. Sauté the kale or chard for 2-3 minutes after the mushrooms and set it on the side. Then, add it as you would spinach.
    • Pecans: use hazelnuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts in place of the pecans.
    • Parmesan cheese: Asiago, pecorino romano, and grana padano can be used instead of parmesan.
    • Pasta: Use your favorite type of pasta for this dish! Any will work, but I love using Farfalle for the texture and presentation.
    • Wine: Replace the wine with chicken or vegetable stock and a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

    🍞 What To Serve With Creamy Mushroom Pasta

    Serve this pasta dish as a main course or as a side dish with a nice steak or chicken dish. Pair it with an apple and pecan salad and some homemade focaccia bread for a meatless dinner on a cold night.

    🥡 Storage and Reheating Instructions

    To store this creamy mushroom pasta in an air tight, covered container for up to 3 days.

    Reheat this mushroom pasta by gently warming it over low heat in a skillet for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. Add a touch of milk to thin the sauce as the sauce tends to thicken when cooled and stored.

    NOTE: Reheating a cream sauce can be tricky. Overheating the cream may cause the sauce to break and end up with an oily mess.

    Freezing is not recommended.

    📖 Recipe

    Farfalle pasta on a white plate mixed with pecans, mushrooms, sage, and a cream sauce.

    Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

    A savory restaurant-inspired pasta dish perfect for Falltime entertaining or as a quick weeknight dinner to warm your belly!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 1313kcal

    Equipment

    • Non-Stick Saute Pan 10 inch
    • Dutch Oven or stockpot for boiling water
    • wooden spoon
    • Chef's Knife
    • Cutting Board
    • Colander

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz Farfalle or other pasta
    • 2 cups Shiitake Mushrooms stems removed, sliced into ¼ inch strips or mushrooms of your choice
    • ½ cup Yellow Onion diced
    • 1-2 cloves Garlic minced
    • ½ cup Dry White Wine sub chicken or vegetable stock with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
    • 1 cup Heavy Cream
    • 1 teaspoon Fresh Sage sliced into thin ribbons
    • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
    • 2 cups Spinach fresh or 1 cup frozen, defrosted, dried well.
    • ¼ cup Pecans chopped
    • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil or butter
    • ½ teaspoon Salt to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper to taste
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    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the pasta is cooking, make the creamy parmesan sauce:
    • Over medium heat, add a teaspoon of oil to the non-stick pan and toast the pecans until just fragrant and golden brown, stirring occasionally, careful not to burn (3–4 minutes). Remove and set aside.
    • Add butter or oil to the pan and sauté the sliced mushrooms until golden brown. (6-8 minutes). Remove and set aside.
    • Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onions over medium-low heat until translucent, 5–6 minutes.
    • Add minced garlic, sauté until fragrant (1 minute), and add wine. Increase the heat to medium and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
    • Reduce the heat to medium-low, add sage, cream, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer and reduce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Stir in the parmesan cheese and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
    • Stir in the spinach and cooked mushrooms and cook another 1-2 minutes.
    • Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan, stir to combine everything well, and cook another 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
    • Add to a serving dish, if desired, and top with toasted pecans, parmesan cheese, and fresh sage leaves.

    Recipe Notes

    This recipe serves 2 people as a main dish or up to 4 as a side dish.  You can adjust the serving size at the top of the recipe card as needed.
    Prep all the ingredients in advance: Have all the ingredients out and set to the side of the stove before you start the sauce. Slice the mushrooms, dice the onions, and mince the garlic before you start cooking the sauce.
    Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking: If the sauce gets done before the pasta, leave it to simmer on low heat until the pasta is finished cooking. Reserve some pasta water before draining to thin the cream sauce if it thickens too much.
    Salt the water for the pasta: Be sure to salt the water for the pasta well. It should taste like the ocean.
    Cook the Pasta Al Dente: The pasta will cook a little more in the sauce, so make sure you cook it to al dente so it doesn't overcook in the sauce.
    Storage and Reheating:
    Store this creamy mushroom pasta in an air-tight, covered container for up to 3 days.
    Reheat this mushroom pasta by gently warming it over low heat in a skillet for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. Add a touch of milk to thin the sauce as the sauce tends to thicken when cooled and stored.
    NOTE: Reheating a cream sauce can be tricky. Overheating the cream may cause the sauce to break and end up with an oily mess.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1313kcal | Carbohydrates: 119g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 76g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 1412mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 4767IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 482mg | Iron: 5mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @thevirtualcaterer or tag #thevirtualcaterer. Leave a comment with a rating below to let other readers know how this recipe worked for you!

    🍝 More Italian Recipes You May Enjoy

    • White oval plate with pasta with blush sauce. Served with wine and parmesan cheese.
      The Best, Easy, Blush Sauce
    • Lemon Spaghetti with Broccolini in saute pan
      Lemon Spaghetti with Broccolini, Smoky Chickpeas and Aged Gouda
    • Focaccia bread sliced into 3 pieces and served with a plate of olive oil with herbs on a white marble background.
      Easy Cast Iron Focaccia Bread (No Knead)
    • Spaghetti with Garlic Chili Oil
      Quick + Easy: Spaghetti with Garlic Chili Oil, Spinach + Olives
    « Refreshing Cucumber Martini
    How to Make PERFECT Crispy Chicken Thighs in Cast Iron »

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    I'm Suzie, a former restaurant owner and caterer. A few of my favorite things include: traveling, hiking, enjoying quality time with friends and family, and of course FOOD.

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