Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
This balsamic mushroom pasta is an easy pasta recipe that looks more complicated than it really is but, in reality, it comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta. The mushrooms cook in some tangy balsamic vinegar and, just before it’s time to serve it, a little cream is added at the end that adds a touch of richness. Garnish it with parmesan cheese and dinner is ready in about 30 minutes.
This post has been republished from the archives. First published in January 2015.
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Salads, salads everywhere… except on this blog. As usual, I’m slow on the uptake and have yet to join the masses in the whole“it’s January so it’s time to make and blog about salad” thing. I figure if I have to take down the Christmas decorations (boo-hiss!) then I’m not giving up anything up food-wise – at least not until I’ve gotten used to the living room sans twinkle lights and garlands. How depressing to carefully wrap up all the ornaments and then have a salad for dinner. Nope.
So, salads, you’re just going to have to wait.
In the meantime, I’m loving the pasta. Pasta that’s been tossed in a creamy balsamic sauce…
This plate of mushroom-y goodness was just what I needed after the Christmas decoration take-down marathon. Comforting, delicious, but so simple to make and it’s sort of fancy-looking, don’t you think? We all still need a little fancy decadence right now.
Ingredients
- Fettuccine
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Portabello mushrooms
- Balsamic vinegar
- Heavy cream
- Fresh parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Tips for Making Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
This easy balsamic mushroom pasta recipe makes enough for two people and I wasn’t kidding about how easy it is to make —
- First, get a big pot of salty water going for the pasta.
- While you’re waiting for it to come to a boil, prep the shallot, garlic, and mushrooms (or buy the pre-sliced ones!).
- Once the water is boiling, toss in the pasta and start heating the butter and oil in another pan and get going on the sauce.
- It comes together so quickly – just saute the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms in the butter and oil, deglaze the pan with some balsamic, and then add in the cream.
- By this point, the pasta will be ready to toss in the pan. Some Parmesan and parsley finishes the whole thing off. Take a bite and forget about all the salad nonsense – we can always start the diets next week.
FAQs and Recipe Variations
Can I double this recipe?
Yes, you can double this recipe to serve four!
What can I serve with Balsamic Mushroom Pasta?
This easy pasta is delicious with a crisp green salad on the side or serve it with toasted bread or breadsticks. It’s also delicious with some roasted vegetables on the side like Brussels sprouts.
Can I add a protein?
Readers have had success in adding different proteins. This mushroom pasta goes well with beef – try adding thin-sliced cooked steak like sirloin. Or, you can also add some cooked chicken. It’s a good idea to cook your chicken or beef before making the rest of the recipe and then adding the cooked protein to the dish just before you serve it.
Can I use different mushrooms?
I like portabello mushrooms because they’re very meaty, but you can use pretty much any mushroom you like. Baby bellas, cremini mushrooms, button mushrooms, or a package with a mix of mushrooms will all work great.
Happy cooking!
More Recipes for Two
I love small-batch recipes so much I wrote an entire cookbook, so be sure to check it out if you love cooking for one or two people! Or, check out some of my favorite small-batch recipes here on the site…
- One-Pan Creamy Chicken and Rice
- Instant Pot Braised Beef Tacos
- Garlic-Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Creamy Gruyere Spaghetti for Two
- Truffle Mushroom Pasta
Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
Mushrooms in a creamy balsamic sauce tossed with fettuccine pasta. It’s easy to make and so delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 ounces fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallot, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus a few tablespoons for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the fettuccine according to the directions on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking prepare the mushroom sauce. In a large pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once melted, add the shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes or so, just until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and toss them around to get them coated in the butter and olive oil. If needed, add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if the mushrooms get too dry. Let them cook and brown for about 8 minutes.
- Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir everything together making sure to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the other tablespoon of butter. Cook everything together for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat and move the pan off the burner. Pour in the cream and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce and toss to combine. Add the fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with additional parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 604
- Sugar: 11.1g
- Sodium: 806.8mg
- Fat: 34.2g
- Saturated Fat: 17.6g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 57.7g
- Fiber: 3.8g
- Protein: 17.9g
- Cholesterol: 73.8mg
Absolutely delicious! I followed your recipe and added 5 oz. thinly shaved sirloin beef also. Scrumptious! Thanks for a simple but amazing recipe.
You’re welcome, Adrienne! I love the idea of adding some sirloin – thanks for sharing that! 🙂
This is an amazing dish. I added chicken breast as my family requires protein. I browned the chicken in the sauteed onions and garlic. Once cooked, removed chicken and completed recipe as written. I then added chicken when I mixed in linguini. Thank you for posting. My family cleared their plates.
Hi Dianna – I’m so glad you liked it and I love that you added chicken! I bet it was delicious 🙂
how do you get that dark color on your fettuccine?
Hi Nicholas! The pasta definitely picked up the color of the mushrooms and the balsamic, which is why they look dark.
You are officially my hero, what sort of soft sod looks out of the window in January and thinks, ‘this looks like salad weather’ 😉 Love this dish, mushrooms and balsamic are a match made in heaven if you ask me 😀
As far as I am concerned you can’t get much better than Pasta and your recipe looks amazing. We love mushrooms in my family so I am really looking forward to making it.
I’m going to save this to make a quick week night dinner. Looks and sounds delicious.
Just tried this this weekend and it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
That’s great, Maria! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
I have just found my go to recipe for the new year . Been working away from home now for the past month and wanted pasta that feels like you really fussed, but doesn’t take a long time to make. Not the usual cheese pasta, some thing a bit more sophisticated. OOOOH LOVE cheese sauce, don’t get me wrong,just need something more elegant. I just love this recipe and look forward to it so much.Ok, so thank you for the lovely recipe.
Oh, I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Can you use bella mushrooms?
Yes, those will work!
Made this tonight and it turned out great! So easy to put together and a great flavor. Hubby and I decide to put this in our “keeper” recipe list. 🙂
Yay! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
This recipe was wonderful so full of geat flavor and so easy to make. Can’t wait to make this company. Thanks so for sharing
I’m so glad you liked it!
I LOVE this dish! Even meat eating hubby will join me for dinner when I do this one!
As soon as I discovered this beautiful flavorful recipe, I had to try it! Mmmm… This balsamic mushroom pasta is a real winner!
Awesome recipe. I add some lobster boiled in old bay, smoked paprika, himalayan pink salt, and pepper. Chopped. Delish.
Just tried this recipe. It had a wonderful delicate flavor.
Thanks!
We love this! I added steak bites to it just to make it a little heartier. But it’s definitely a go to pasta dish in our house
I love that you added steak! That’s a great idea 🙂