Calling all mushroom lovers, this simple garlic Mushroom Pasta recipe is perfect for you! In just 25 minutes, make an easy Italian pasta dish with sauteed mushrooms and parmesan cheese to create a delicious meal.

mushroom pasta in bowl with fork

If you love mushrooms, this dish is guaranteed to become a new household favorite! It’s so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. You can easily whip it up in less than 30 minutes!

This is one of my go-to easy pasta meals to make at home. While the ingredients are simple, the flavor is perfection! I took some notes from my recipe for sauteed mushrooms, to make this classic pasta dish, with next-level flavors.

Table of contents

ingredients for mushroom pasta on white wood board

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti noodles – or another thin noodle, like angel hair. For this recipe, I do not recommend a thicker noodle, like fettuccine or pappardelle as it will overpower the light, simple textures and flavors of the dish.
  • Unsalted butter – I always recommend cooking with unsalted butter, so that you can adjust the salt to taste when finishing the dish.
  • Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil has a great neutral flavor that works perfectly along with everything else in this dish. Other mild tasting oils can be used as well.
  • Mushrooms – for this recipe I used baby bella mushrooms, also called crimini mushrooms. These are my favorite mushrooms due to their wonderful depth of flavor, but you can use any mushroom you’d like. Try white button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms. You can even use sliced portobello mushrooms.
  • Soy sauce – this is used to add both saltiness and a wonderful umami flavor to the mushrooms. If you’d like, you can use kosher salt, in it’s place.
  • Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
  • Dried thyme – fresh thyme can also be used, but you’ll want to double the amount, compared to dried thyme.
  • Black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese – I recommend fresh grated parmesan, as it will melt best into the pasta dish.
  • sliced mushrooms in pot with soy sauce
  • sliced mushrooms in pot with minced garlic, herbs and spices
  • sliced mushrooms with liquid in pot
  • sliced mushrooms in pot with parmesan cheese and cooked spaghetti

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos above to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Add spaghetti noodles and cook according to package directions. Use a large measuring cup, or ladle, to remove one cup of the cooking water from the pasta. Set the water aside. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
  2. Cook the mushrooms. Heat olive oil and butter together in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add mushrooms and soy sauce to the pot. Toss to coat the mushrooms in the butter, oil and soy sauce. Cook the mushrooms, without stirring, for 5 minutes.
  3. Season the mushrooms. Add minced garlic, thyme and black pepper to the pot with the mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the cooking water. Pour 1/2 – 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water in the pot with the mushrooms. Allow some of the liquid to evaporate, this will take approximately 8-10 minutes.
  5. Combine all of the ingredients. Once almost all of the liquid has cooked out of the pot, add fresh grated parmesan cheese and the cooked spaghetti noodles. Toss all of the ingredients together. Serve in a bowl and top with additional grated parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, liked chopped parsley or basil, if you’d like!
mushroom spaghetti in bowl with fork

Optional additions

The beautiful thing about this pasta recipe is it’s simplicity. That being said, if you want to mix things up, it’s also delicious with any of these additions!

  • Heavy cream – to make creamy mushroom pasta, add 1/3 cup heavy cream with the parmesan cheese.
  • Bacon – instead of the oil and butter, start the recipe by cooking 4 strips of chopped bacon in the pot. Once the bacon is crispy, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and set it aside. Use the bacon grease to cook the mushrooms and continue with the recipe as instructed. Serve the pasta dish topped with the chopped, cooked bacon on top.
  • Tomatoes – add a 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. This will give the mushroom pasta a delicious tomato sauce base.
  • Onion – add 1/2 cup diced onions with the minced garlic.
  • Spinach – stir in 1 or 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves with the garlic.
  • Lemon – finish the dish with 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 teaspoon lemon juice to add a fresh, zesty flavor.

Pro tips

  • Avoid submerging the mushrooms in water to wash them, they will absorb the liquid, which can make them soggy. The best way to clean mushrooms is to wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. You can also give them a quick rinse, just make sure to dry them very well.
  • Purchasing whole mushrooms and slicing them yourself allows you to control the thickness of the slices, but already sliced mushrooms will work as well.
  • If purchasing whole mushrooms, cut the mushrooms as evenly as you can and slightly thick. You want a bit of meatiness to absorb the flavor and give you the best texture.
  • Don’t stir too much. You want the mushrooms to have a chance to get a nice golden brown color, this won’t happen if you stir constantly. Leave the mushrooms alone for 5 minutes without stirring to give them a beautiful color, texture and taste!

Diet variations

  • To make this recipe vegan, replace the butter with additional extra virgin olive oil. Use a dairy-free parmesan style cheese.
  • To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free spaghetti noodles and replace the soy sauce with tamari, a gluten free soy sauce.

What to serve with it

Cheesy breads, salads and roasted veggies are all delicious side dishes to serve with this mushroom pasta recipe. Try any of these tasty side dish recipes!

mushroom pasta in bowl with fork

More pasta recipes

Try these other popular pasta recipes for dinner this week!

mushroom pasta in bowl with fork
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Mushroom Pasta

Calling all mushroom lovers, this simple garlic Mushroom Pasta recipe is perfect for you! In just 25 minutes, make an easy Italian pasta dish with sauteed mushrooms and parmesan cheese to create a delicious meal.
Servings: 4 people
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  • Add the spaghetti noodles and cook according to package directions.
  • Remove one cup of the pasta cooking water and set it aside before draining the pasta.
  • Drain the pasta and set it aside.
  • Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
  • Once the butter has melted, add the sliced mushrooms and soy sauce to the skillet, stir to combine everything in the skillet, then cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
  • Add the minced garlic, thyme and black pepper to the skillet with the mushrooms, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
  • Add ½ – ¾ cup of pasta cooking water to the mushrooms and allow some of the liquid to evaporate, this will take approximately 8-10 minutes.
  • Once almost all of the liquid has cooked out of the skillet, add the parmesan cheese and cooked pasta, and toss all of the ingredients together.
  • Serve and garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley or basil, if you'd like.

Notes

  • Avoid submerging the mushrooms in water to wash them, they will absorb the liquid, which can make them soggy. The best way to clean mushrooms is to wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. You can also give them a quick rinse, just make sure to dry them very well.
  • To make this recipe vegan, replace the butter with additional extra virgin olive oil. Use a dairy-free parmesan style cheese.
  • To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free spaghetti noodles and replace the soy sauce with tamari, a gluten free soy sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 404kcal (20%)Carbohydrates 49g (16%)Protein 15g (30%)Fat 17g (26%)Saturated Fat 7g (35%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 24mg (8%)Sodium 463mg (19%)Potassium 674mg (19%)Fiber 3g (12%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 285mg (6%)Vitamin C 1mg (1%)Calcium 194mg (19%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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