This creamy mushroom pasta is a delicious main or side dish. It's ready in a little over 30 minutes and is made with sauteed mushrooms, Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese, garlic and spaghetti pasta.
16 oz. spaghetti
1 c. pasta cooking water, reserved
5 T. butter, divided
4 large cloves garlic, minced
24 oz. crimini or button mushrooms, quartered
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 c. vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese
2 T. chopped Italian parsley
Cook pasta in well salted boiling water according to package directions; drain, but do not rinse. Reserve 1 c. pasta cooking water for sauce, if needed.
Melt 3 T.butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms; cook for 3-5 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. When the mushrooms have released their liquid, remove the skillet from the heat; drain or use paper towels to absorb the excess liquid from the skillet. Return to the heat; add the garlic; cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Transfer the mushrooms to a platter or a bowl.
Melt the remaining 2 t. butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the melted butter; slowly add the broth, whisking to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high; bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes; add the cream. When the sauce begins to simmer again, reduce the heat to medium; cook on a low simmer, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water, as needed. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
Return pasta to the skillet; toss to coat. Add the mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. Garnish with parsley.
Serve.
6 servings.