Truffle Mushroom Pasta
Truffle mushroom pasta is an easy pasta dish that you can make with a few simple ingredients. The sauce is made with truffle cheese which is an affordable way to enjoy the flavor of truffle without breaking the bank. The pasta is creamy, rich and earthy and very easy to make in about 30 minutes, but you’d never guess. It tastes like a restaurant dish and is a cozy dinner for two.
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The only thing standing between me and this truffle mushroom pasta for the past 18 months was my complete lack of desire (aka laziness) to seek out truffle cheese at a fancy grocery store. Add in the fact that all of the specialty stores that might have truffle cheese are at least an hour’s drive away from where I live and, well… that’s not happening.
So, I thought it was a lost cause until recently, on a whim, I did a search at my regular grocery store and – surprise! – they carry truffle cheese. Who would have thought the grocery store in my smallish town located in a “fly-over” state would have truffle cheese? Not me, which is why I didn’t even bother to check until last month. So, jokes on me. I could have made this last year.
But I’ll let all that go because we’re here now! With truffle mushroom pasta! It’s fancy-ish, but not complicated. You can get all the ingredients at a regular grocery store. And it takes all of 30 minutes to make.
This pasta dish is sort of a mash-up of two of my favorite dishes on this site: balsamic mushroom pasta and fettuccine Alfredo. The mushrooms are meaty and pair nicely with the truffle cheese and you make the sauce just like you would an Alfredo sauce with butter, cream and cheese.
Add some bread or a salad and you get a fancy but low-maintenance dinner for two.
About the Truffle Cheese
Truffles are a type of fungi that grows underground. They’re earthy, a little funky and wildly expensive so lucky for us there is truffle cheese that is a whole lot more affordable.
There are all kinds of truffle cheese and I found parrano truffle cheese at my grocery store. Parrano cheese is from the Netherlands and is very similar to Parmesan, but they can’t call it that because Parmesan is protected and can only be made in Italy. It tastes very similar.
The cheese is flecked with truffles and runs about $25 a pound, but you only need 2 ounces for this recipe, so a little wedge is plenty. Look for it in the specialty cheese department near the deli.
Recipe Highlights
Once you have your fancy cheese, this truffle mushroom pasta is only a few steps away.
- Cook the mushrooms and chopped garlic in some butter until they’ve released their moisture. I used baby portabello mushrooms, but any kind of mushroom will work.
- While the mushrooms cook, get your pasta water going. I used fettuccine but any long pasta will work.
- Take the mushrooms out of the pan and melt a little more butter before adding some cream. Once the cream is heated, add the shredded truffle cheese and stir until it’s melted and the sauce comes together.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce along with a few tablespoons of the starchy pasta water which will help thin the sauce. Stir it all around, garnish with fresh parsley and a little more grated cheese and serve.
This truffle mushroom pasta is so rich and creamy – the truffle cheese adds a delicious earthiness that’s savory and satisfying. It looks and tastes like it came from a restaurant, but it didn’t – you can make it at home! In 30 minutes! You don’t have to get dressed up, but you can still be fancy! This is the kind of dinner that makes me so, so happy.
So, don’t be like me – believe you can find truffle cheese wherever you are and make this pasta! It’s a treat.
Happy cooking!
More Dinner Recipes for Two
I love creating recipes for one or two so much I wrote a whole cookbook about it! I also share lots of small-batch recipes here on the site, so here are a few more to check out ❤
- Shrimp Penne with Vodka Sauce
- Pan-Seared Salmon with White Bean Salad
- Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Honey Mustard Parsnips
Truffle Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fettuccine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces Parrano truffle cheese shredded (see note)
Garnishes
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon grated truffle cheese
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve a few tablespoons of the starchy water before you drain the pasta once it’s cooked.
- In a 10-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and stir to coat them in the butter. Add the salt and cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes or until they’ve released their moisture and they are deep brown in color.
- Transfer the cooked mushrooms and garlic to a bowl or plate. In the same pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the cream and stir to combine it with the butter. Once the cream is heated through add the shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add one or two tablespoons of the pasta water to thin the sauce.
- Add the mushrooms and pasta to the pan and stir to coat them evenly in the sauce. Garnish with the chopped parsley and grated cheese and serve.
Absolutely delicious! I made a couple of additions: 1) finely chopped a shallot and softened with the garlic before adding the mushrooms. 2) Added 3 tablespoons of truffle sauce (Bernardini) at the end of the making the sauce. 3) Omitted the truffle cheese because of the truffle sauce but did sprinkle parmesan and parsley at the end. Massive hit, restaurant quality. Thank you!
I love the changes you made – thanks so much for sharing!