Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

 

 

I had some mushrooms that I needed to use up and so I went on the hunt for some type of sauce that I could use them in. I spied this recipe for Mushroom Alfredo Sauce with Pasta on a page called The Live in Kitchen.  It looked fabulously delicious.

  

I am a person who actually prefers to enjoy their pasta without meat.  It is a texture thing.  I will eat it with meat in it, but I prefer my pasta on its own.

When I was growing up and my mother made her famous "Italian" spaghetti, she always saved me a bit of sauce on the side without the meat in it to enjoy with my pasta.  Yes, I was that fussy.

 

Mom's "Italian" spaghetti was basically a pound of regular ground beef browned and then simmered in a can of the cheapest spaghetti sauce she could buy, which back then was Catelli.  It was what my dad liked and what dad liked mom cooked.

I don't think any of us children ever truly enjoyed it, but it was cheap and fit within mom's very strict budget, which she never wavered from.

Mom was one of those cooks that you always knew what day of the week it was by what was on the menu for supper.  Without fail. She could sail through the grocery store with a list that never changed from one shop to the next.  It never varied and she could not be swayed.

To be honest, my father did not make a lot of money being a junior rank and in the military in those days.  The pay packet got a lot better as time went on. When I was first married to a military guy, the pay was still pretty appalling, but it did get better in the early 1980's.  I could totally understand mom's penny pinching as the money really did not go that far.

True story this.  When we lived in Suffield, Alberta, the British army would go out on scheme training and when they came back any rations that hadn't been used were simply dumped. All unopened cans and often unopened full boxes.  

My ex used to bring them home where I would clean and scald all of the cans. We stored them on a shelf in the basement. It was always somewhat of a mystery what was in each, but with time I came to figure it out.  They were lovely.  Cans of stewed beef were a favorite as were the tinned sweeties, the cheese, the biscuits, potatoes, and the apple pie!

We did this for quite a while until one day our oldest son announced to the next door neighbor that his parents shopped at the dump.  Out of the mouths of babes eh?  That was quite embarrassing.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMY MUSHROOM ALFREDO PASTA

Just a few simple ingredients.  There is nothing too out of the ordinary here.

• 8 ounces (227g) of pasta (I used fettuccini noodles)
• 1/4 cup (58g) butter
• 1/2 shallot, peeled and finely minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 6 ounces (170g/2 1/2 cups) sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (90g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle (optional)
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

 

If your shallots are really small, you can use a whole one.  You really won't need much more than 2 TBS of finely chopped shallots.  Use fresh garlic if you can. It is superior to any that comes pre-minced and in a jar.

I used white closed cap mushrooms. You can use any kind that you like, but do try to avoid mushrooms that will cause the sauce to turn an ugly color.  (ie. Portabella types.)

In North America use whipping cream. In the U.K. use double cream.  If you are wanting to save on fat and calories, you can use undiluted evaporated milk.  The garlic and cheese will mask any flavor so that you won't really be able to tell what it is.

This is one recipe that you will definitely want to use hand grated parmesan cheese if you can for the sauce. It is okay to use pre-grated to sprinkle on top of the finished dish.

In true disclosure, I did not have any parsley and so I used some fresh thyme leaves to garnish the finished dish.

 

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY MUSHROOM ALFREDO PASTA

This really goes together very easily. If you have all of the ingredients prepped and assembled before you begin, it goes together very quickly as well.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add your pasta and cook, according to the package directions, to al dente. Drain well, rinse under hot running water and then set aside.

If you can, make the sauce while your pasta is cooking. Melt half of the butter in a medium sized non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic and shallot to the melted butter and cook, (without browning) stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes or so.

 

Add the mushrooms. Cook, without stirring, until they begin to brown. Give them a stir and cook until lightly browned all over. (Try not to agitate them too much as they will release more liquid if you do and not brown as nicely.)

Add the remaining butter, heavy cream and the parmesan cheese. Cook and stir to melt the cheese. Toss in the pasta and heat through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Serve hot, topped with additional parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

 

VARIATIONS YOU MIGHT ENJOY

• Add a dollop of white wine or a TBS of sherry to the pan of mushrooms and let it cook off to add an additional flavor note.
• Thaw some frozen chopped spinach, squeeze dry and add into the mix for additional flavor and color.
• Likewise, you can thaw some frozen baby peas and stir them in. Delicious!
• Use a different pasta.  Penne, farfalle, rigatoni, fusilli. All would work well as would Mafalda.
• Vary the variety of mushrooms, or use a combination. Bear in mind, portabella types, whilst tasting alright, will color the sauce somewhat unattractively.

 

This pasta dish was rich and delicious. I loved the ease of preparation and how quickly it went together.  I enjoyed it on the first day with some crusty bread on the side, and a nice salad.  (I love my salad.)

The leftovers were also delicious gently rewarmed in a skillet the day after. I did add a touch of whole milk to loosen the mixture up a bit when I was reheating it.  Fabulously tasty!

Do you enjoy pasta dishes as much as I do!  You really can't beat pasta when it comes to making a quick, delicious and super easy supper. Here are some of my other favorite ways to enjoy it!

 PASTA E PISELLI - Simple ingredients put together in a simple way.  Pasta, peas, water and cheese. It doesn't get any simpler or easier than this. You wouldn't think that simple things like this could come together in such a delicious way, but like magic, they do!  I love this.

BOW TIE PASTA WITH SPROUTS AND BACON -Pasta, sprouts and bacon are three of my absolute favorite things, so I just love this dish. Its a very simple recipe and goes together really quickly if you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. The sprouts get all caramelized on the edges, which I really love. Crisp salty bacon and those nutty crispy-tender sprouts in a creamy sauce with plenty of cheese scattered over top! What's not to love about this! 

Yield: Serves 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Deliciously rich and creamy, loaded with flavor. Simple and quick to make as well. A small batch recipe for the smaller family.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (227g) of pasta (I used fettuccini noodles)
• 1/4 cup (58g) butter
• 1/2 shallot, peeled and finely minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 6 ounces (170g/2 1/2 cups) sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (90g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle (optional)
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add your pasta and cook, according to the package directions, to al dente. Drain well, rinse under hot running water and then set aside.
2. If you can, make the sauce while your pasta is cooking. Melt half of the butter in a medium sized non-stick skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and shallot to the melted butter and cook, (without browning) stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes or so.
4. Add the mushrooms. Cook, without stirring, until they begin to brown. Give them a stir and cook until lightly browned all over. (Try not to agitate them too much as they will release more liquid if you do and not brown as nicely.)
5. Add the remaining butter, heavy cream and the parmesan cheese. Cook and stir to melt the cheese. Toss in the pasta and heat through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. Serve hot, topped with additional parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

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