This mushroom alfredo is made with fettuccine or tagliatelle tossed in a butter, cheese and cream sauce. Toss the pasta with sautéed mushrooms for a decadent dinner!
Pasta always feels like a comfort food, but add some alfredo and you've really got a luscious meal.
This mushroom alfredo is a tasty vegetarian entree! While traditional alfredo is made with butter and cheese only, in this recipe I'll be adding some cream for extra ease of cooking.
What Kind of Mushrooms Should I Use?
Use whatever you prefer or have on hand. That said, this is a perfect recipe to show off some specialty or wild mushrooms.
The mushrooms in the photos are oyster mushrooms. While in Chamonix, France this past summer, we had a similar pasta dish with morel mushrooms at Casa Nonna.
Unless it's all you have on hand or you just really like them, I'd probably avoid white button mushrooms in this recipe since they don't have a ton of flavor.
Can't get enough mushrooms? Try them as a delicious sautéed side dish, in a quiche or omelette, or as a compound butter!
Can I Use Frozen or Dried Mushrooms in This Recipe?
I've made this recipe using dried oyster mushrooms, and it worked out well.
Before cooking, dried or dehydrated mushrooms should be rehydrated in warm water and then squeezed dry to the extent possible. The mushrooms will still taste great but may not brown as nicely.
Frozen mushrooms will have a similar water-retention problem as the dried and rehydrated mushrooms. They can be cooked from frozen, and will likely taste great but (again) won't brown as nicely.
I do not recommend canned or jarred mushrooms in this recipe, as I think the moisture content will simply be too much.
Can I Use Pre-Grated Parmesan in Mushroom Alfredo?
Pre-grated cheese will not work well in alfredo sauce, because it contains additives that interfere with melting.
I recommend getting a wedge of Parmesan and grating it yourself, as finely as possible. It will incorporate into the sauce so much easier! A microplane grater can do the job.
For more thoughts on choosing a Parmesan, see the notes at the bottom of the recipe card.
How to Make Mushroom Alfredo
While the pasta is cooking, prep the mushrooms by slicing or tearing them into pieces.
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil. The butter will foam and then settle down: add the mushrooms now. Toss them while they brown.
I like to use this Lodge enameled cast-iron skillet.
Next, add garlic, and continue tossing the mushrooms for another minute or so. Salt them, and set them aside for now.
Now you'll make the alfredo sauce. In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter and then add salt and garlic. Cook this blend for a couple of minutes.
Add the cream, and simmer until everything is fully incorporated.
Turn off the heat, and whisk in the Parmesan until it's fully melted.
(Do this immediately while the cream is still hot; otherwise, you'll have to warm it up again before you can melt the cheese.)
Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce. You'll also want to add some of the pasta water, or if you forgot to reserve any, a little cream or white wine. Toss everything until the sauce is almost entirely used up to coat the noodles.
Finally, add the cooked mushrooms and a little pepper, give it all a final toss, and serve right away!
For some extra cheesy goodness, serve more Parmesan on the side!
Want more alfredo variations? My favorite non-vegetarian options are scallop alfredo or smoked salmon alfredo.
Mushroom Alfredo
Ingredients
Sautéed Mushrooms:
- 1 quart mushrooms Use mixed mushrooms or favorite variety
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter If using salted butter, omit the sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Alfredo Pasta:
- ½ pound fettuccine or tagliatelle Use gluten-free pasta if needed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter If using salted butter, omit the sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly + finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve if desired See "Parmesan Cheese Tips" in the recipe notes.
- freshly grated black pepper, to taste About 1 pinch for pre-grated pepper
- diced chives, optional
Instructions
Cook Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add the pasta. Gently stir the pasta occasionally to prevent it from sticking together.Boil until al dente (about 1 minute less than the package directions call for). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and remove pasta from the heat.
Cook the Mushrooms:
- Prepare mushrooms by tearing into small pieces. (Alternatively, slice them.) If your mushrooms have a tough stem, discard and compost the stem.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the butter and oil. The butter will begin to foam as it melts. When it stops foaming, add the mushrooms in a single layer.Don't crowd the mushrooms or they will steam instead of browning. If you have too many mushrooms to fit in a single layer, work in batches.
- Toss the mushrooms frequently to make sure they cook evenly.When the mushrooms are lightly toasted, add the garlic. Toss and cook for about another minute, until the garlic is fragrant.Salt to taste and set aside.
Make the Alfredo Sauce:
- In a large, deep fry pan or a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the salt.When the butter is melted (but not browned) add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic sizzles.
- Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering about 3 minutes, or until the butter has completely incorporated into the cream. There should be no "oily" butter spots left, and the cream will be a pale yellow color.Turn off the heat and whisk in the Parmesan. Continue whisking until the cheese melts into the sauce.Tip: The butter and cream sauce must be piping hot when the cheese is added, otherwise the cheese will not melt. If you paused your cooking for any reason in between adding the cream and butter, reheat the cream before proceeding.
- Add the pasta and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to cheese sauce and toss to incorporate. (Tongs work well for tossing fettuccine.) At first, it will seem like there is too much sauce. As you continue to toss the pasta, the sauce will begin to cling to the noodles. When there is no sauce (or almost no sauce) pooled on the bottom of the noodles, you're done tossing.If the sauce seems dry or stringy, add another splash of the reserved pasta water. (I usually add at least one splash of pasta water, sometimes two, when cooking this meal.)Tip: If you forgot to reserve pasta water, add a splash of cream, milk or white wine to the sauce instead (not tap water).
- Add the mushrooms to the pasta. Toss the pasta. Add black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, making sure to evenly distribute the mushrooms when serving. If desired, add chives and extra grated Parmesan after plating.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a micro-plane grater (or zester) and a wedge of Parmesan (not pre-grated cheese) for this recipe. The more finely the cheese is grated, the easier it will dissolve into the sauce.
- Pre-grated Parmesan (even high-quality) will not work well in this recipe. It's often tossed in additives to keep it from sticking together. The additives will keep the cheese from melting.
- Store-bought freshly grated cheese is not ideal, because even if there are no additives, it's generally not grated as finely as you'll want for this recipe.
- Parmesan Reggiano is considered the best quality Parmesan cheese, and has the most nutty flavor.
- Parmesan Reggiano is not considered a vegetarian (or pescatarian) cheese because of the way it's processed. If you're concerned about this, look for a different variety of Parmesan. (You can often find Parmesan wedges labeled "vegetarian".)
Leave a Comment: