Creamy Shiitake Mushroom Pasta
Creamy shiitake mushroom pasta made with garlic, parmesan, a simple béchamel-style sauce, topped with rosemary walnut breadcrumbs. This easy mushroom pasta recipe is rich, comforting, and ready in 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 6-8 ounces pasta, I used lumaconi, but shells, rigatoni, or fettuccini work great
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups milk, whole or 2% milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste and to cook pasta
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup water, to deglaze pan if needed
Rosemary Breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Make the rosemary breadcrumbs.
- Pulse the walnuts in the food processor until crumbly, you don't want walnut butter!
- Heat a medium pan to a low to medium-low heat, add the oil.
- Once the oil is heated, add the rosemary and let it simmer for about 10-15 seconds. Then add the toasted walnuts and stir constantly, being careful not to burn them (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add the sea salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and bread crumbs.
- The bread crumbs cook quickly, so keep stirring well and turn off the heat once you start to see them turn a light golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Cook the Pasta.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously (think sea water salty!).
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Cook the Mushrooms and Béchamel Sauce
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add shiitake mushrooms and garlic, plus a pinch of salt.
- Cook until golden, about 5-6 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and move the mushrooms to one side of the pan. On the empty side of the pan, add the butter and let it melt. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add the milk while whisking continuously until smooth.
- Stir together the mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
Combine.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese, then add the pasta and toss to coat. Use reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce as needed. Keep in mind that the sauce thickens as it cools.
Finish and Serve.
- Top with rosemary walnut breadcrumbs and serve warm!
Notes
- Let the mushrooms brown until golden for the best flavor.
- Freshly grated Parmesan melts more smoothly into the sauce.
- Use reserved pasta water to create a silkier sauce.
- If you want a spicier pasta, add more garlic or add another teaspoon of Aleppo pepper to your rosemary breadcrumbs.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 1mg
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