This spinach and mushroom pasta with creamy parmesan sauce is rich, decadent, and full of cozy flavors, sure to warm your belly.
Serve this pasta as a main course or side dish with a nice flat iron steak or roasted chicken. Pair it with an apple and pecan salad or a simple arugula salad and some homemade focaccia bread for a cozy dinner on a cold night.
This creamy mushroom pasta is a restaurant-worthy dish inspired by the flavors of fall and winter. 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.
⭐ 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 and winter 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.
- Cream Cheese - or mascarpone cheese. Thickens the cream sauce.
- 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.
- 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 continue to cook slightly in the sauce, so ensure it is cooked to al dente to prevent overcooking in the sauce.
??? How to Make Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Start by cooking pasta according to the package 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.
? 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
Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Equipment
- Non-Stick Saute Pan 10 inch
- Dutch Oven or stockpot for boiling water
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 8 oz Farfalle pasta or other similar pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or butter, divided
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms stems removed, sliced into ¼ inch strips or mushrooms of your choice
- ½ cup onion yellow or white, 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 teaspoon fresh sage sliced into thin ribbons
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese or mascarpone, to thicken sauce
- 2 cups spinach fresh or 1 cup frozen, defrosted, dried well.
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 and cream cheese. Simmer and stir for another 1-2 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted into the sauce.
- Stir in the spinach and cooked mushrooms and cook for 1 minute until the spinach just starts to wilt.
- 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.
Karen K
This was very good. I used a vegetable-based cream cheese, margarine instead of butter, used 1/3 cup of cream and 1/2 cup chicken broth with 2 Tbsp. white wine to decrease the animal fats.
Suzie J.
I love your healthier options; thank you for sharing your swaps! I'm so glad it turned out well for you, and thank you for trying my recipe, Karen! Xo, Suzie
Sol
It was great !!! Loved it. Thanks. I would probably like it a little lighter, but that’s preference. Thank you for sharing. ?
Suzie J.
Thank you, Sol! x Suzie