Recipe

A bowl of perfectly-cooked pasta doused in a creamy, velvety sauce is the stuff of dreams! Quite frankly, it is amazing the way it is. But what if we told you that you can make it even better with practically no extra effort? 

Yes. It’s possible. And all you need is a humble ingredient: Mushrooms. Loaded with golden-brown and buttery, garlic mushrooms, this dish takes your creamy pasta to the next level. 

Plus, you’ll be bowled over by the versatility of this dish. You can tweak the amount of cheese to create that perfect bite of comfort for the times you’re craving something decadent or tone it down to make it suitable for a weeknight meal. Great for serving to your family or your guests, you can pair it with a fresh side salad or a hunk of garlic bread to mop up the creamy sauce.  

What’s better? This steaming bowl of rich deliciousness takes less than 15 minutes to bring to you table!  

Here’s the recipe. 

• 2 tablespoon of butter

• ½ tablespoon olive oil

• 160g/ 6 ounces of pasta, preferably fettuccine, tagliatelle or linguine but you can use whatever is available to you

• 400g/ 14 ounces of fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can use any variety or a mix of varieties)

• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped

• ¾ cup chicken/veg stock 

• ¾ cup heavy cream

• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving

• Salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• A handful of roughly chopped parsley (optional) 

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Stir occasionally, until al dente (about 2 minutes less than the time mentioned on the packet).

• Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water for later. 

• Heat butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. 

• Add mushrooms and give them a quick sear in the hot pan until their liquid evaporates, they turn golden-brown, and their edges start to crisp. This might take 5-7 minutes.

• Salt them now after they have developed a nice brown colour rather than early on to avoid drawing out extra liquid from them. 

• Reduce heat to medium-low and add shallots and garlic. Stir until shallots are soft and translucent and garlic is fragrant. This will take about 2 minutes.

• Slowly add the broth and scrape up the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits. 

• Season with salt and pepper. 

• Turn the heat down to low and add heavy cream and parmesan, stirring the pan regularly for 2 minutes. Grating your own parmesan will create superior results in terms of texture and taste, but store-bought shredded parmesan will do in a pinch. 

• Add cream, mix well, and ½ cup of reserved pasta water, followed by the pasta. 

• Crank the heat up to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing regularly, until pasta is al dente and the sauce is slightly thickened. This will take about 3 minutes.

• Check the consistency. If the sauce is still too thick, loosen it up with a splash or two of pasta water. 

• Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

• At this point, you can sprinkle some parsley for freshness and colour. 

• Serve with extra parmesan. 

This is just one example of how mushrooms can elevate a dish and make it extra special. Mushrooms can help you turn any dish more flavourful and healthy. And, you won’t even have to run to the supermarket or farmer’s market, because you can grow those easily using readily available mushroom kits.