This Creamy Mushroom Mascarpone Pasta is a delicious savory vegetarian pasta dish with caramelized mushrooms, plenty of garlic, and al dente tagliatelle pasta in a luscious creamy mascarpone sauce. Comes together in about 30 minutes, making it a perfect easy vegetarian pasta recipe.

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Ingredients

To make this mascarpone sauce with mushrooms you really just need a few key ingredients, each which pack a ton of flavor.

• Pasta: Tagliatelle is my pasta of choice for this recipe – the pasta coats the sauce very well.
• Mushrooms: Baby bella or cremini mushrooms (technically those are the same variety!) will be great. They are a stage older than white button mushrooms, and a stage younger than portobello mushrooms, so their flavor is perfectly robust and deep without being overwhelming.
• Garlic: Garlic brings a lot of flavor to this recipe so we want a lot of it – four cloves to be exact.
• Heavy cream: This is the base of the creamy mushroom sauce to make sure it gets nicceeeee and silky.
• Mascarpone cheese: A deliciously creamy and velvety Italian cheese that lusciously melts into the heavy cream (think: Italian cream cheese)
• Parmesan cheese: Brings a nice mild nuttiness and saltiness to the sauce.
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is best as it'll have the most robust flavor and the mushrooms absorb some of that as they sauté.
• Parsley: A fresh element to finish off the dish!

Step by step instructions

Prep: clean and slice the mushrooms, chop the garlic, grate the parmesan cheese, and chop the parsley.

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, salt the water and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

2. Sauté the mushrooms. Meanwhile, warm a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is warmed through, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5-10 minutes until deep and rich in color.

3. Add the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the sautéd mushrooms. Sauté for 2 minutes until very fragrant.

4. Add the heavy cream and mascarpone. To the same skillet add the heavy cream and mascarpone cheese. Stir gently until homogeneous and silky.

5. Add the parmesan cheese. Stir in the freshly grated parmesan cheese until combined and let it all simmer together until slightly thickened and it coats the back of a spoon, 3 minutes.

6. Add the parsley. Once thickened, add the fresh parsley and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Add the pasta and reserved pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and ½ cup reserved pasta water. Mix together to combine and add more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to your preference.

Tips and tricks

To get this mascarpone pasta sauce just right, follow the below tips and tricks:

• Salt your pasta water! You want it to be nearly as salty as the sea. This helps flavor your pasta.
• Use room temperature mascarpone cheese – this will help make sure it mixes into the sauce seamlessly instead of in chunks.
• How to clean mushrooms: Do NOT rinse off mushrooms. They will absorb the liquid. To clean mushrooms you want to very lightly dampen a paper towel and gently brush off any dirt that's on their surface.
• Salt at the end. Because in this recipe we're adding two kinds of cheeses and when mushrooms are sautéd they'll absorb and concentrate any flavor that is on them (as they shrink up), you'll want to salt the recipe at the end to make sure that you're not over salting as ingredients continue to be added.
• Do not rinse your pasta – this will remove the starch from them which aids in bringing the sauce together.

Recipe variations:

• Switch up the type of pasta! As mentioned above I love a long noodle for this recipe to slurp up the sauce such as tagliatelle that I use or pappardelle, but you could really use just about any kind of pasta. Rigatoni would be great, and so would even tortellini or ravioli.
• Use any kind of mushroom! I really like baby bella for this mushroom sauce for the reason I listed above, but you can add really any kind of mushroom and this dish will still be delicious. Shiitake, oyster, porcini, chanterelles, morels, they'll all be good. Or use a little of them all!
  • You can even use dried mushrooms, just rehydrate them before you sauté - learn how to do that here.
• Add veggies: Throw in some fresh spinach or arugula, or even zucchini, peas, string beans, etc.
• Add meat: Chicken or shrimp would be a great addition. And make it simple by shredding up a rotisserie chicken and adding it right in!
• Crisp up some prosciutto in the oven and crumble it on top right before serving!
• Make it spicy: Add some red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste to add a bit of a kick.
• Swap the herbs: Instead of parsley you could use chives, thyme, or rosemary.

What to serve with this recipe

This creamy mushroom pasta sauce is very decadent and pairs well with a simple arugula salad (arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, shaved parmesan cheese) and toasty garlic bread.

FAQs

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📖 Recipe

This Pepperoncini and Onion Pizza is one of my absolute favorites that I make nearly every week. It's a simple red sauce pizza topped with melty mozzarella cheese, sharp onions, bright and brine-y pepperoncini, and delicious garlic. It's a unique pizza topping pairing that you'll wish you tried sooner!

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Ingredients

This pepperoncini and onion vegetarian pizza is inspired by one of my favorites - a homemade Roberta's pizza: the Lil Stinker. It's a simple pizza made with onions and garlic; two of my favorite vegetarian pizza toppings because they pack so much flavor.

• Pizza dough: Just a basic pizza dough. Frozen, store-bought, or homemade. Whichever you prefer (or have time for).
• Tomato sauce: A simple jarred pizza or marinara sauce works perfectly here!
• Mozzarella cheese: Pre-shredded mozzarella is great or you can use fresh and shred it yourself, or even do slices of fresh.
• Pepperoncini: Jarred pepperoncini! Either whole or sliced is fine, we're going to chop it.
• Red onion: Halved and then sliced thin. You could also use yellow onion.
• Garlic: Loads of it! Measure with your heart. Chopped or sliced both work.
• Olive oil: For drizzling on the crust to help it get nice and golden.
• Parmesan cheese: A nice salty kick when the pizza comes out of the oven.

Step by step instructions

Prep: Slice the onion, and chop the pepperoncini and garlic.

1. Roll and oil the dough. Roll out your dough to about 12" all around. If it's not a perfect circle that's completely fine. Transfer it to your baking sheet (lined with parchment) or pizza stone and brush the olive oil from crust to crust.

2. Add sauce. Evenly spread the tomato sauce leaving ½" of the crust around the edges.

3. Add toppings. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce. Then follow with the onions, pepperoncini, and garlic.

4. Bake. Bake in a 425℉ oven for 12-15 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Finish with parmesan cheese and fresh oregano (optional) when it comes out of the oven.

Tips and tricks

Making this pepperoncini and onion pizza is pretty much a no brainer, but the below tips and tricks will help make sure it goes off without a hitch.

• Trader Joe's pizza dough is a great pre-made option if you have a store nearby.
• Make sure the dough is at room temperature before you roll it out. This will help make sure it's easy to stretch. If you notice it keeps shrinking back together, let it sit at room temp for a bit longer before continuing.
• To roll out the dough use your hands (stretching it with your fingers), a rolling pin, or even a wine bottle.
• If you can't find pizza dough at the supermarket, try your local pizza place and see if they sell it.
• Sprinkle some flour down before you try to roll out the dough so it doesn't stick.
• Don't skip brushing olive oil on the dough - it'll help the crust brown and get crispy.

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📖 Recipe

These Chimichurri Shrimp Bowls are so full of flavor and so easy to make. Tons of herbs, garlic, oil, vinegar, and lime juice make a delicious sauce that is slathered over shrimp and served with quinoa, avocado and limey cabbage.

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Ingredients

Chimichurri has so many fresh ingredients it's a perfect lightened up sauce or topping. Then just add a few more and you have these chimichurri shrimp bowls loaded with flavor.

• Shrimp: (prawns) frozen and defrosted at home or defrosted at the store are both great
• Shallot: A bit more mild than an onion which is what makes it perfect here
• Garlic: Gives so much flavor to the sauce, make sure to chop it up really finely
• Fresh herbs: This recipe uses a combination of fresh parsley and cilantro – if you hate cilantro just double down on the parsley
• Red wine vinegar: Usually you can swap around vinegars and be okay but I really do recommend using red wine vinegar specifically for this recipe
• Lime juice: Fresh lime juice - not anything from the jar
• Quinoa: This is my grain of choice but you can use whatever you like – rice, farro, cauliflower rice, and so on
• Avocado: A perfect topping that adds a creamy bite
• Cabbage: Red or white cabbage both work

Step by step instructions

This chimichurri shrimp comes together in just a few minutes because it uses fresh ingredients and minimal cooking. This makes it perfect for an easy weeknight meal or even weekday lunch. You can also use it for meal prep and eat throughout the week!

Prep: cook the quinoa and squeeze some lime over the chopped cabbage.

1. Cook the shrimp. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, add the shrimp and cook 3-4 minutes per side until no longer translucent. Set aside.

2. Make the chimichurri. While the shrimp are cooking, combine the shallot, garlic, cilantro, parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime, salt and pepper.

3. Combine the shrimp and sauce. Toss the cooked shrimp with ½ of the chimichurri sauce.

4. Serve. Serve the shrimp over cooked quinoa with avocado, limey cabbage, a drizzle of extra chimichurri sauce, and a lime wedge.

Tips and tricks

• Picking good shrimp:
  • Use frozen shrimp if you have access to it. Usually the shrimp that are on display at the fish counter in the grocery store are previously frozen and defrosted, so you're better off buying straight from frozen and defrosting when you need it. **Unless you have access to fresh fish, in which case buy fresh!
  • 1lb of large shrimp is usually around 15-20 shrimp
  • Get peeled and deveined shrimp with the tail-on. Cooking with the tail on helps keep a lot of flavor in.
• Defrosting frozen shrimp:
  • Place the frozen shrimp in a plastic bag.
  • Place the plastic bag in a large bowl and fill with room temp water to fully submerge the shrimp. You may need to place a heavy object on top.
  • Leave the shrimp in the water for about 30 minutes. Check to see if it needs to be rotated and add more time as needed.
• Make the dish spicy by adding some red pepper flakes into the chimichurri sauce.
• Make the chimichurri in the food processor if you don't want to spend the time chopping the ingredients.
• How to serve chimichurri shrimp: if you don't want to make this into a quinoa bowl, you can serve the shrimp over rice, polenta, pasta, grits, or simply with some roasted veggies.
• Serve as a bowl for a main dish or simply serve the chimichurri shrimp on skewers or with little utensils as an appetizer.
• Grill your shrimp instead of sautéing them if you're cooking outside or just prefer it that way!

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📖 Recipe