The secret to this easy creamy mushroom pasta recipe? Smoked shoyu! With layers of complexity and richness, this is going to be your new favorite comfort dinner.
There’s something so comforting about a rich and creamy mushroom pasta. Earthiness from the mushrooms combined with a simple, lightly smoky cream sauce coats every single piece of pasta in this easy-to-prepare meal.
The secret ingredient? Smoked shoyu! I’ve used smoked shoyu in other vegetarian pasta dishes because it adds a wonderful smoky, meaty flavor with no meat.
If you don’t have the smoked shoyu (psst, you can grab a jar from my shop), you can use 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke and 1 teaspoon of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce or 1 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce.
How to make this easy creamy mushroom pasta recipe:
This pasta recipe is relatively easy and fast to make. The sauce comes together fairly quickly, so you want to start your pasta water as soon as you have prepped your ingredients.
For this recipe you’ll need:
- Shallot: You can replace it with onion as well.
- Mixed mushrooms: Try it with a mix of shiitake, cremini, wild mushrooms, or beech!
- Dry thyme: I used Taurus mountain thyme though your favorite dry thyme will work just fine or try it with fresh thyme!
- Smoked shoyu: Or use a mix of liquid smoke and vegetarian Worcestershire or soy sauce.
- Water or stock: You can also use a mix of stock and white wine.
- Heavy cream: I recommend sticking with a full-fat heavy cream for the best effect!
- Pasta: I used bucatini, but try this with spaghetti, linguine, or even rigatoni!
- Spinach and arugula: I used a blend of baby spinach and arugula, but try this recipe out with your favorite green, like escarole or kale.
First, sauté the shallot. Once it’s softened, add the mushrooms and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until well-browned. From there, simply add butter along with thyme and smoked shoyu.
Finish the sauce by adding water or stock and letting it boil down until thick and glossy. Add in the heavy cream, pasta, greens, and a bit of pasta cooking water and toss it all together and that’s it! A quick, easy, and ultra comforting dinner recipe.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check my archives!
If you made this recipe, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment to tell me how you liked it! If you take a picture of it, please tag me on Instagram so I can feature you in my feed!
Easy Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 shallots peeled and diced
- 1 pound mixed mushrooms sliced or torn, depending on variety
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon Taurus mountain thyme or your favorite dry thyme variety
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 tablespoons smoked shoyu or use 1 teaspoon liquid smoke and 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 16 ounces bucatini
- 5 ounces baby spinach or use a blend of spinach, arugula, or kale
- ½ cup loosely packed parsley minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Boil the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until 1 minute under al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta and set aside.
Cook the mushrooms:
- As you wait for the pasta water to boil, start the sauce—heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the shallow and cook for 3–4 minutes until just beginning to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes until well-browned—season with salt and pepper.
Bloom the spices:
- Melt the butter into the mushrooms and add dry thyme and crushed red pepper—Cook for 1 minute.
Simmer the sauce:
- Add the smoked shoyu to the pot along with the water or stock. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes until it thickens and reduces. Turn the heat to medium-low and hard simmer for 10–15 minutes or until thick, glossy, and reduced by about half—taste and season with salt and pepper.
Finish the sauce:
- Add the heavy cream to the sauce and stir to combine. Taste the sauce and season once more to your preferences.
Finish the pasta:
- Add the cooked pasta, greens, and minced parsley to the pot. Toss to coat, adding the pasta cooking water in small splashes until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is completely coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Divide the cooked pasta between plates or shallow bowls. Enjoy!
