A creamy mushroom sauce flavored with onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and just the right amount of spice coats spaghetti pasta in this delicious, comforting dish. Finished with shredded and grated parmesan cheese, this pasta dish is sure to be a family favorite!
If you've entertained the idea of doing a Meatless Monday or if you're just looking to sneak more vegetarian meals into your diet, this mushroom pasta is the perfect dish to get you going! Baby Bella mushrooms give this pasta a delicious earthy flavor and stand-in for any meat that you would typically use.
The spicy cream sauce plays so well with the mushrooms and keeps this dish from being just another boring pasta meal!
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Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
- Spaghetti pasta. One pound of dried spaghetti pasta is called for in this recipe. Be sure to not overcook the pasta as it will continue to cook when combined with the sauce.
- Unsalted butter. We will soften our veggies in two tablespoons of butter. The butter adds great flavor and some fat to the dish.
- Baby Bella mushrooms. This recipe calls for one 16-ounce package of sliced Baby Bella mushrooms. You can also buy whole Baby Bella mushrooms and slice them by hand if you prefer. Be sure and rinse your mushooms.
- Yellow onion. One small chopped yellow onion is cooked with the mushrooms and bell pepper for added flavor in this dish.
- Red bell pepper. One medium red bell pepper adds freshness and a hint of sweetness to this dish. Rinse, seed, and chop the bell pepper.
- Fresh garlic. This recipe calls for four cloves of fresh minced garlic. The garlic adds delicious flavor to the pasta sauce.
- Salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, crushed red pepper, and ground red pepper. These are the spices we use to flavor this pasta dish.
- Worcestershire sauce. This is an optional ingredient, but I find that it adds some great flavor to the dish and compliments the mushrooms nicely. I recommend Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce!
- Half and half. This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of half and half to create our cream sauce.
- Shredded and grated parmesan cheese. These cheeses are stirred into the pasta after we've combined the spaghetti with the sauce for some added creaminess, nuttiness, and saltiness.
How to Make This Mushroom Pasta
- Cook spaghetti pasta until al dente (still firm to the bite) in salted water according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water, and set it aside.
- Melt butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Season the veggies with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and red peppers. Add Worcestershire sauce and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon to combine all of the ingredients.
- Add half and half to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add cooked spaghetti to the pan with the sauce and add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything with silicone tongs to combine, ensuring all of the spaghetti noodles get coated with the sauce.
- Simmer pasta while continuing to toss with tongs, until the sauce thickens a bit more, about 2-3 minutes. If the pasta seems a little dry, add more pasta water until a creamy consistency is reached. I ended up adding about ½ cup.
- Add in grated and shredded parmesan, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and give the pasta one final toss. Serve pasta immediately, topping each serving with more grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Variations of This Recipe
Feel free to use a different variety of pasta if you prefer such as:
- Linguini
- Fettucinni
- Tagliatelle
- Pappardelle
You can also try different veggies in this pasta such as:
- Spinach
- Broccoli florets
- Cauliflower florets
- Diced tomatoes
- Zucchini
Can I Use Another Type of Mushroom?
I like Baby Bellas for this recipe because they are relatively inexpensive, have a nice, dark color, and they have a rich, earthy flavor.
However, you can also use white mushrooms for this recipe, which are lighter and have a milder flavor. You can also use regular portabella mushrooms if you prefer, which are also dark and earthy. Just be sure and slice them into bite-sized pieces.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
You can prepare the mushroom sauce a day ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, just cook the spaghetti as instructed and combine it with the sauce over medium-high heat until hot and creamy.
Leftover mushroom pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This pasta can also be stored in airtight zip-top freezer bags and frozen for up to three months.
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
Check Out These Other Delicious Cajun Recipes Before You Go!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Cajun Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried spaghetti pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1, 16-ounce package Baby Bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper rinsed, seeded, and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan
- ¼ cup grated parmesan plus more for topping
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti pasta until al dente in salted water according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water, and set it aside.
- Melt butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Season the veggies with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, cayenne, and crushed red pepper. Add Worcestershire sauce and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon to combine all of the ingredients.
- Add half and half to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add cooked spaghetti to the pan with the sauce and add about ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything with silicone tongs to combine, ensuring all of the spaghetti noodles get coated with the sauce.
- Simmer pasta while continuing to toss with tongs, until the sauce thickens a bit more, about 2-3 minutes. If the pasta seems a little dry, add more pasta water until a creamy consistency is reached. I ended up adding about ½ cup.
- Add in grated and shredded parmesan, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and give the pasta one final toss. Serve pasta immediately, topping each serving with more grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftover mushroom pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This pasta can also be stored in airtight zip-top freezer bags and frozen for up to three months.
- See blog post for other important tips and suggestions.
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