This creamy baked mushroom pasta is not for the faint-hearted. It's creamy, it's cheesy, rich and full of umami mushrooms and a very generous flavouring of truffle. And it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish. It's December. This is NOT the time for diet food!
Baked pasta is my love language and this mushroom baked pasta may have shot to the top of that list. Silky smooth creamy cheese sauce snuggles up to rich truffle filled pasta and all layered with grated cheese and golden seared garlicky mushrooms. But here are some other pasta bake winners you may want to try vegetarian stuffed pasta shells, creamy tuna pasta bake, and this cheesy baked tortellini.
It's extremely easy to make, and despite its very luxe description and flavour, it's very affordable to make. This mushroom pasta bake is also vegetarian meaning it is perfect for any occasion and is an absolute show stopper to serve to your holiday guests.
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Ingredients
Below is a snapshot of the ingredients. I like to photograph everything in the packaging so you know what you're looking for when you're wandering the aisles of your local Aldi. Many readers are new to Aldi and are not overly familiar with their products or packaging and it helps to have a visual reference.
Most of these ingredients are available at any other supermarket as well. For items like the stuffed pasta, you can substitute any type that you like.
- 400g white mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs thyme leaves
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 pack of truffle and mushroom ravioli (250g pack)
- whole milk
- double cream
- shredded cheddar
- shredded mozzarella
- vegetable stock made with a stock cube (optional)
- lemon juice
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This baked mushroom pasta may look like it's only for 2 but I promise you it's rich and filling and with a side salad and some crusty bread this pasta bake will more than easily feed 4 people.
Below are the step by step instructions with visual cues so you know what to look for as your making this for the first time.
Step 1 & 2
Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside and preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Heat some of the olive oil in an ovenproof pan, skillet or baking dish over high heat. Once the oil is hot add in the mushrooms and pan-fry until they’re a deep brown and colouring on all sides. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place them in a bowl.
- Heat the butter and remaining oil in the pan and sauté the onion and garlic with the thyme and rosemary until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the thyme and rosemary and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.
Step 3 & 4
- Pour the cream and milk into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add in some of the grated cheddar reserving the remaining cheese for the topping. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until smooth. Add the mushrooms to the sauce and stir well.
Step 5 & 6
Gently stir the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce and taste and adjust the seasoning.
Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining cheddar over the pasta and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the sauce is starting to bubble up around the edges.
Remember that image SEO is important: file names should reflect the recipe + step they represent, but only use alt text as a screen reader description.
Hint: leave a useful hint here, like let the grill run for 4-5 minutes to burn off any remnants, then clean it. I like to use this bristle-free barbecue brush (affiliate link) for cleaning the grill.
Substitutions & variations
If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.
- Mushroom truffle ravioli - you can use any type of pasta for this recipe, whether it be filled or a short noodle like penne.
- Mushrooms - brown mushrooms would work really well in this recipe as would portobello
- Adding protien - you can add in some pan seared chicken to really ramp this pasta bake up!
Equipment
This mushroom pasta bake is really easy to make and requires very little equipment. A simple ovenproof baking dish will work, but I've listed exactly what I've used so you can replicate the results, or if you're looking to stock your kitchen equipment.
- Cast iron skillet set - this comes as a set of 3 and they are so versatile. I wouldn't be without them. Perfect for the hob to oven to table and they look amazing.
- Handheld cheese grater - these are absolutely perfect for shredding cheese and grating garlic.
Storage
This mushroom pasta bake will keep really well for 3 days in the fridge but doesn't freeze well. In all honesty, there won't be much left to save for leftovers anyway. You'll find yourself eating spoons fulls of this pasta straight out of the pan!
Top tip
Use a damp paper towel to wipe the mushrooms clean. Rinsing them under running water will add too much liquid to the sauce.
Food safety
Below are a few quick tips about food safety. Most cases of food poisoning are caused at home. Even if you're familiar with all of these tips, it's sometimes helpful to have a little gentle reminder.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at food.gov.uk
Rich and Creamy Baked Mushroom Pasta (One Pot)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon (3 tablespoon) olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) butter
- 1 (1) yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves (2 cloves) garlic, minced
- 400 g (4 cups) white mushrooms, washed and quartered
- 2 (2) sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
- 3 (3) sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 1 (1) pack mushroom and truffle ravioli *see notes
- 180 ml (6 floz) whole milk
- 180 ml (6 floz) double cream
- 125 g (1 cups) grated cheddar, divided
- 75 grams (2 ⅔ oz) mozzarella
- juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside and preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in an ovenproof pan, skillet or baking dish over high heat. Once the oil is hot add in the mushrooms and pan-fry until they’re a deep brown and colouring on all sides. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and place them in a bowl.
- Heat the butter and remaining oil in the pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the thyme and rosemary and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour the cream and milk into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add 75g of the grated cheddar reserving the remaining cheese for the topping. Whisk the cheese into the sauce until smooth. Add the mushrooms to the sauce and stir well. Gently stir the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce and taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining cheddar over the pasta and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the sauce is starting to bubble up around the edges.
Notes
- You can substitute regular penne or any short pasta noodle instead of the stuffed pasta.
- Because this pasta is so rich it’s really important to add lemon juice to balance out the flavours.
- If you’re using regular pasta follow all the instructions exactly just substituting the stuffed ravioli for regular noodles
Nina
Absolutely loved this recipe! Quick, easy and so delicious to make.
Deborah Rainford
So happy you liked this recipe, Nina. And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's very appreciated!
Ann D Niessen
Have not tried yet, but as an experienced cook, I can say it sounds absolutely delicious! Only think I would suggest is giving ingredient measurements in both metric and other fid those of us who use only F°, cups, Tbsp, tsp, etc. Constantly looking up equivalents and conversions is time consuming. I know, sounds like we are lazy, and perhaps so. It would just make it so much easier. Thank you for this recipe.
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much Ann. Yes! A new recipe card that has both metric and imperial is coming at the end of the month! It's always such a pain to have to convert it all yourself and there's always the risk that a miscalculation happens. So, I'm making it easier for all of us and updating the card in a couple of weeks.