15 MINUTE GARLIC MUSHROOM PASTA (NO CREAM)
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Everyone needs a good garlic mushroom pasta recipe in their back pocket for last-minute dinners! It’s packed with umami flavor and boosts your mood at the end of a long day, it’s easy and comes together in only 15 minutes.
This is a real treat for spaghetti and mushroom lovers and guaranteed to please the entire family.
I love carbs, but I try to avoid pasta dishes in the evening. That being said, and despite all my resolutions, when I cook this fragrant garlic mushroom pasta for my boys in our busy weeknight dinners, I just can’t resist.
The smell of the garlic, the intensely flavored gravy released from the mushrooms, the savory parmesan cheese, and the aromatic parsley… it’s just too good.
WHO can resist? Not me.
If you love big bold flavors, this garlic mushroom pasta is for you!
What ingredients you need
-
- Pasta
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive or olive oil
- Parmesan cheese* (optional)
- Chili flakes (optional)
- Fresh parsley
- Salt & pepper
How to make garlic mushroom pasta
Let me tell you how easy it is…
- Cook spaghetti until al dente
- Saute’ garlic and chili flakes in olive oil in a large skillet
- Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and saute’ for about 7 minutes
- Drain the pasta and reserve some cooking water
- Add pasta, cooking water, parmesan, chopped parsley
- Toss over medium heat until well combined
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and a good drizzle of olive oil. Done!
RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
What not to love about fragrant garlic mushroom pasta that smells and tastes amazing? It’s utterly DELICIOUS, packed with flavors, it’s on the table in 15 minutes, and costs only $1.20 per serving!
This is really one of my favorite easy mushroom recipes: it has no cream, and it’s packed with real and healthy ingredients like mushrooms, fiber, garlic, and olive oil.
Skip the parmesan, and it’s vegan too.
ARE MUSHROOMS HEALTHY?
The delicious mushrooms are high in fiber, vitamins, and important minerals like Selenium and antioxidants that boost your immune system. Plus, mushrooms are also fat-free, low-sodium and low-calories.
WHAT MUSHROOMS TO USE FOR THIS PASTA RECIPE?
Portobello, baby Bella, cremini, baby portobello (so many funny names!) but they all work just fine in this recipe.
These brown varieties boast more flavor than their common white, and portobello mushrooms are my go-to mushrooms for many recipes.
WHY DOES THIS GARLIC MUSHROOM PASTA TASTE SO GOOD?
Plenty of garlic, parsley, and olive oil, plus rich mushrooms and parmesan, both great purveyors of umami flavor.
Umami flavor is that rich and savory factor that transforms this dish from good to amazing!
Also, I love adding a lot of chili flakes or fresh chili, the smell garlic and chili gently fried in olive oil is simply delicious. However, sharing spaghetti with my 4-year-old boy means I can only add chili at the end.
MORE QUICK PASTA RECIPES?
- 10+ Super quick pasta recipes
- Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil
- Sun-dried tomato pesto pasta
- Cream cheese pasta
- Lemon ricotta pasta
If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
15 MINUTE GARLIC MUSHROOM PASTA
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 grams) Mushrooms (portobello, cremini...)
- 10 oz (280 grams) spaghetti or other pasta shapes
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes, or more to taste (optional)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Slightly rinse the mushrooms with cold water to remove any dirt or debris and pat dry with paper towels (do not soak them). Slice the mushrooms, mince or finely slice the garlic, chop the parsley.
- Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Cook until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli flakes and cook gently, until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently until the mushrooms are sizzling and brown, about 7 minutes. (If you use cremini mushrooms, they might give off a lot of water during cooking, you have to wait for that liquid to boil off before the mushrooms begin to brown).
- When the pasta is ready, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta, parsley, grated cheese and reserved cooking water to the skillet (better if you add cooking water gradually, as much as you need it to combine everything nicely). Toss over medium heat for 2 minutes, until the mushrooms and the sauce coat the pasta.
- Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the skillet from the heat, drizzle with extra olive oil and chilli flakes if you like.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra grated parmesan and chili flakes. Enjoy.
I picked up some reduced price mushrooms earlier and thought I would try something different from my usual tomato-based pasta sauces. A quick internet search found this recipe, and wow! It was amazing, I will definitely be doing this one again! I used white mushrooms and dried parsley (as did somebody else I see!) but will try different mushrooms next time.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback, Colin!
It’s great to hear it was amazing, it’s so much appreciated. x
I made this tonight and it came out wonderful even with white mushrooms and dried parsley (I’m sorry but it’s all I had). Definitely a keeper recipe!
Hi Anna! Thanks so much for your feedback, I’m so pleased it turned out wonderful : )
One of the best pasta recipes I could make in under 15 minutes .
A big fan of your receipies …
Sending love from India….
I’m so pleased, thanks for sharing! : )
Greetings from London and happy 2023. x
Did you seriously call Parmesan “optional”? What kind of heresy is that? It is essentially the glue that binds a delicious pasta dish together.
Seriously though, this meal was a pretty good find. I added some walnuts in during the cooking process, which added a nice crunch. The short amount of time cooking was an added bonus for after a night shift; you can debate costs, and health, and all that jazz between cooking at home vs jumping onto UberEats. Where there is no debate is time and efficinecy, and you can guarantee you will be eating this meal when it is piping hot and ready.
Will likely make this one again.
I loved reading your comment, Mikey!
To be honest, Parmesan is a must in my household and totally get what you mean. However, I think the mushrooms, the garlic and the rest of the ingredients deliver that big flavor that cheers you up at the end of the day, and perfect for those who look for a vegan or dairy-free dish. : )
Thanks so much for sharing your lovely feedback X
Made this dish last night for a fussy husband & my 20-something daughter. Used a tray of mixed mushrooms – portobello, brown & white mushrooms. Followed your recipe to the T. It came out sooooo good! Husband & daughter loved it. Thank you for such an easy, yet tasty recipe.
Fantastic, I’m so glad to hear you guys loved it. Thanks for sharing your lovely feedback : )
Have a good great weekend, Valerie! x
Made this for lunch today.Added one third cup of frozen peas.Delicious,Thanks!
I’m so pleased to hear that, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! x
I added spinach to my dish! I was going to use some dried mushrooms I had on hand but discovered they take quite a while to soak 😳.
Thanks for your sharing your feedback, Cheryl! 😊 Yes, dried mushrooms take ages to soak properly, pretty annoying if you’re in a rush. x
I am looking forward to making your recipe; however, I have spent more time than I care to admit trying to find ” ready made” pasta that is, in fact, vegan. Peta even gave a list of vegan pastas (Barilla,et.al). Each and every ”vegan” pasta contained 2-4 grams of sugar—presume bone char process was used. Other than trying to make my own, might you offer any thoughts? I shall thank you in advance.
I’m sorry but I can’t help you with proper “vegan” pasta brands, Greer. Although I love eating pasta, I’ve never made my own research on the matter. I hope you’ll love the recipe x
I’ve been looking for cream free pasta recipes as I have a cow’s milk intolerance so this couldn’t be more perfect thank you for sharing xo
I’m glad you’ve found this pasta recipe without a single drop of cream, it’s delicious! 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment, Gemma! x
I made this some protein lentil pasta for extra protein
So good!!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂 thanks for your feedback, Mish x
Thank you so much for posting this, I bought mushrooms last night for some unknown reason but had no plans for them or anything else to go with it. Quick search on pinterest and this popped up, although I did change the olive oil for a bit of double cream and added extra water and it was amazing!!
Really quick and easy so thank you for putting a bit of sparkle into my Friday night meal
Thanks a million for your lovely comment, Carly! This is one of the recipes I love most: so little effort, so much flavor.
You’ve made my day 🙂
I used a little bit of cream (based on previous comments) and used goat cheese instead of parmesan. I did 1/2 shitake and 1/3 cremini because that is what I had in my fridge and instead of parsley didnt have any so three in some fresh rosemary from the garden whole the mushrooms cooked…..so fast, so easy….thank you for a great recipe that is very forgiving and adaptable – fab!
Thank you for your comment, Carol! 😊 That sounds delicious, I’m so pleased you liked it! x
Tried this dish for the first time tonight. My boyfriend wanted a nice mushroom spaghetti, decided to give this recipe a try, wow totally blown away. Everything came out delicious. Will definitely try again
I’m very happy to hear that Nichole, thanks so much for sharing! x