This easy creamy mushroom pasta with crispy sage is rich, comforting, and layered with flavor, from garlicky anchovies and zesty lemon to silky crème fraîche and buttery mushrooms. Finished with Parmesan and crispy sage, it’s a cozy, elevated dish perfect for any night of the week.
Always nice to have an easy dinner recipe for you can whip up without a lot of prep. Creamy mushroom pasta is my go to when I need to make a meal that's quick and delish. I always keep my kitchen stocked with anchovies, lemons, and garlic just in case. Using a combination of these ingredients you can enhance the flavor of just about any dish.
🌿 Ingredients You Need & Why
- Anchovies bring a nice saltiness and umami note.
- No, it does not taste fishy. I toss these lovely flavour bombs and their oil straight from the can into the pan. The anchovies cook down into a paste that will coat the garlic.
- Fresh garlic and lots of it!
- See if you can find large purple garlic heads at your farmer’s market with more complexity. Ask the farmer directly about the varying pungent strengths. I prefer a middle to strong garlic and add several large cloves into my pasta.
- Red pepper flakes incorporate a little needed heat.
- Add them in early with the anchovies and garlic ensures an even spice level across every bite. If your adverse to heat, start with a half teaspoon.
- Lemon zest and juice brighten the creaminess and give little acid zing.
- Lemon is added in three parts throughout the recipe. A little zest with the anchovies, a dash more zest in the cream sauce, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice over the noodles when tossed amongst the mushrooms.
- LOTS of cremini or baby bella mushrooms!
- This is a mushroom pasta after all and I prefer mushroom in every bite. I know 5 cups of mushrooms sounds like a lot, but they cook down quite a bit. (I also weigh all my ingredients to be precise.) Opt for whole mushrooms when shopping. To ensure a hearty mushroom experience, slice them into thick pieces before browning.
- If you don’t have a pot large enough to brown them all at once, cook the mushrooms in a couple batches. Once browned, add them back to the pot before pouring in the wine.
- Chardonnay blends in a lovely oaky and buttery profile.
- Of course you can use whichever white wine you have on hand, but I don’t recommend anything to sweet or with a bold profile.
- Crème fraîche is our creamy component for a velvety creamy pasta sauce.
- Add to the reduced wine on a lower heat and stir continuously to prevent the fat from splitting. I push the mushrooms to one side of the pan, making room for mixing in the cream. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of pasta water and stir.
- Parmesan cheese is rich, tangy, nutty, sharp, complex, fruity, and bold.
- It offers a little more of that umami taste into the cream too. A great compliment to the lemon and red pepper! Grate more cheese on each serving of the creamy mushroom pasta before devouring.
- Tagliatelle pasta is a long flat ribbon pasta perfect for twirling lighter sauces and scooping up mushrooms.
- Parmesan cheese is rich, tangy, nutty, sharp, complex, fruity, and bold.
- It offers a little more of that umami taste into the cream too. A great compliment to the lemon and red pepper! Grate more cheese on each serving of the creamy mushroom pasta before devouring.
- Fresh Sage for a crunchy and herbal note all in one.
- An easy to make topping that gives a punch of earthy peppery notes. Instead of adding chopped sage to the sauce I opted for crunchy sage on top of the pasta. The occasional crispy texture bite will definitely keep your mouth from getting bored.
How to Make Creamy Mushroom Pasta Video
How to Make Crispy Sage
It's really quite simple to make crispy sage and once you've done it, you'll be adding it to more of your meals. Start by removing the stems off your sage leaves, then heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a pan until it starts to shimmer.
Toss in a tester leaf—if it sizzles, you’re read! Add the rest of the sage in a single layer, let them fry for about 30–45 seconds until crisp and deep green. Transfer leaves to a paper towel to absorb the oil, sprinkle generously with flaky salt, and let them cool while you finish the mushroom pasta. Instant crunch and herbal flavor!
Tips for Creamy Mushroom Pasta
🧄 Don’t rush the mushrooms.
The key to deep, savory flavor is browning them well. Cook in batches if your pan feels crowded.
🥄 Use starchy pasta water to loosen the sauce.
If your sauce feels too thick, add a splash of that salty, starchy pasta water right at the end. It helps everything cling to the noodles and gives the sauce a silkier finish.
🧂 Crème fraîche needs gentle heat.
Stir it in over low heat once the wine has reduced. If the pan’s too hot, the cream can split, still tasty, just not as smooth. I usually scoot the mushrooms to one side of the pan and mix the cream in where there’s a little breathing room.
🧀 Grate your own Parmesan.
It melts better and tastes brighter than the pre-shredded stuff. I use a microplane so it disappears right into the sauce.
Leftovers?
Creamy pastas are at their best as soon as they hit the plate. The texture just isn’t quite the same after a night in the fridge and a next day sauna in the microwave. However, anything not eaten can be refrigerated for about 2 days in an air-tight container. To re-heat, add a splash of water or milk to the pasta to revive the sauce before heating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can swap the crème fraîche for equal measurement of sour cream or heavy cream.
Don't crowd the pan with mushrooms and cook at high heat to helps the evaporate moisture quickly. Careful not to burn them. Season the mushrooms towards the end of cooking to retain their texture. Cook in batches and place them on a side plate until ready to mix them in the pasta.
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Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Remove stems from 10 large fresh sage leaves or 15 smaller ones.
- Pour olive oil into a medium size pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Bring oil to medium heat until shimmery. Place a small piece of sage into the oil to test, if it starts to sizzle you’re good to go.
- Place sage leaves in an even layer on the oil. Use a wooden spatula to move them around if needed. Leaves will start to fry and transform to a darker green. Cook them for about 30-45 seconds until the edges start to curl.
- Carefully remove the sage leaves from the oil and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. The excess oil will absorb into the paper towel.
- Sprinkle the leaves generously with flaky salt and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta ‘al dente’ according to package directions. This may be about 1-2 minutes less than instructed. Do not drain the pasta. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water just in case.
- **If you’re good at multi tasking, add the noodles to the water right about when you start to sweat the mushrooms in the pan.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet add the olive oil, canned anchovies with their juice, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium heat until the anchovies cook down into a paste.
- Add in the garlic, butter, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest. Stir to distribute.
- Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms to the pan and toss them in the butter and oil to coat.
- Allow the mushrooms to sauté and brown for 5 - 6 mins, turning once or twice. The mushrooms will sweat and release some juice that will simmer off. If you don’t have enough room in the pan to prevent over crowding, cook the mushrooms in two batches. Then, add them all together in the pan before pouring in the wine.
- Add the wine and bring to a simmer for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and let the liquid reduce by about ⅓. There is butter and oil in the pan, so there should still be liquid covering the bottom of the pan before adding in the crème fraîche.
- Lower the heat to a soft simmer at medium low. Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan. Add the crème fraîche in three batches, stirring while simmering until a smooth and creamy sauce is formed. It will still look liquidy at this point.
- Move the mushrooms into the sauce, then add in the parmesan. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Once the parmesan has dissolved, add the cooked pasta directly into the pan from the pot of boiling water. The noodles should drip some of the salty water into the sauce.
- Toss the noodles with the garlic mushrooms.
- Squeeze the juice of one large lemon over the noodles.
- The noodles will absorb some of the creamy sauce, though it should still be nice and saucey. If it is thicker than you like, add a splash of pasta water to loosen.
- Serve the pasta immediately!
- Top with extra shaved parmesan, lots of freshly cracked pepper, and the crispy sage leaves.
Video
Notes
- Pasta Choice – Wide, flat noodles like tagliatelle fettuccine are great for catching creamy sauces. Though, any pasta shape will do.
- Oil + Butter – Adding oil prevents the butter from burning and helps to brown the mushrooms.
- Cream – You can use heavy cream or sour cream if that's what you have on hand. Just remember to ladle some of the starchy pasta water into the sauce to thicken and smooth.
- Parmesan – For best results, finely grate your own parmesan. The pre-shredded or large shavings won't melt into the pasta evenly.
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