This easy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta is rich and cozy with golden mushrooms and a quick homemade Alfredo sauce. Easy enough for a busy weeknight, but impressive enough for entertaining!
When you’re craving something rich and comforting but still easy enough for a busy weeknight, this Mushroom Alfredo Pasta delivers big flavor with minimal effort. It starts with mushrooms sautéed until golden brown and deeply aromatic, creating a savory, almost meaty base. Then, in the very same pan, a quick homemade Alfredo-style sauce comes together using a simple roux, broth, milk, garlic, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. The result is a creamy, velvety sauce that coats every strand of pasta without feeling overly heavy.
This is one of those dinners that feels restaurant-worthy but is surprisingly simple to make at home. Everything cooks in one pan, which means less cleanup and more time to enjoy a warm, satisfying meal with your family. The tender mushrooms add hearty texture, the sauce brings cozy richness, and the Parmesan adds that irresistible cheesy finish. It’s perfect for busy families who want comfort food fast — and it’s flexible enough to add protein or veggies based on what you have on hand.
Do you meal plan your dinners? It makes weeknights so much easier! Check out my Meal Planning Theme Night Recipes and then add this one to your Pasta Sundays!
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Why Busy Families Love Mushroom Alfredo Sauce
- One-pan cooking — minimal cleanup.
- Quick homemade sauce — no jarred Alfredo needed.
- Hearty and comforting with rich, savory mushrooms.
- Kid-friendly creamy, cheesy flavors.
- Customizable — easy to add chicken, shrimp, or veggies.
- Weeknight-ready — on the table fast.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
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- Mushrooms – I used white button mushrooms. Cremini, baby bella, white button, or sliced portobello mushrooms all work well and brown beautifully.
- Salt and Black Pepper – I only used salt and pepper to season the chicken, but you could also add some garlic powder or onion powder, or even poultry seasoning.
- Garlic Clove, minced
- Salted Butter – Butter is used for making the roux in the gravy base. You can also use unsalted butter. You can substitute with another fat, but you do really need a fat to make the smooth thick roux. Substitutes for butter can be Ghee (clarified butter), olive oil, coconut oil, or other butter or oil product.
- All purpose flour – Flour is the thickener to mix with the butter/fat.
- Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth Chicken Broth or stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock or beef broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base.
- Milk – I used 1% milk, but any milk will work, whole or 2% Milk or 1% Milk. You can also use unsweetened soy, almond, or coconut milk. If you want even creamier, you can add half and half or heavy cream. You can also eliminate the milk and replace it with water or chicken stock.
- Parmesan Cheese, grated – Parmesan adds more depth, salty, and nutty flavor to the sauce. Shredded is fine too. If you don’t have parmesan cheese, you can substitute with shredded or grated pecorino romano cheese, or other hard salty cheeses like manchego cheese or gruyere.
- Pasta – Fettuccine is a classic with alfredo sauce, but penne, linguine, rotini, or shells work great.
- Reserved Pasta water – This is simply saving a cup of the starchy water that the pasta cooked in to help you create more or thin out the sauce later. Before you strain the pasta, just scoop out 1 cup and set aside.
- Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped – parsley is an optional fresh and bright garnish and finish to this dish.
See recipe card for quantities.
Simple Equipment
I used my favorite large frying 12″ Ceramic Pan for cooking the mushrooms, making the alfredo sauce, and mixing everything together. It’s great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. You can use any large frying pan, large skillet or even dutch oven.
You will also need a Wire whisk for making the sauce.
Mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
Finally, a large pot for boiling the pasta.
Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you can prepare ahead to save time on busy nights! (See the full recipe below)
Clean the mushrooms with a dry paper towel, then slice.
Mince the garlic.
Talking Tip!
Want fresh garlic at your fingertips? Mince it in a food processor in bulk and then freeze it in a storage bag flat in the freezer. Then snap off a section of frozen garlic to use in any dish!
Cooking Steps
While the pasta is cooking, preheat a large frying pan or skillet over medium high heat.
Add the oil to the pan and then add the sliced mushrooms (no salt or pepper yet). Spread them out into a layer so as many mushrooms as possible are touching the skillet bottom. Let sit without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms get a beautiful browned sear. Then stir so that the other sides brown.
Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper and let the mushrooms cook down for another 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper and let the mushrooms cook down for another 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
To the pan used for the mushrooms, turn down the heat to low, add the butter to melt, then whisk in the flour until combined.
Slowly whisk in the stock/broth until smoothly combined.
Then whisk in the milk.
Add the mushrooms, garlic, ground pepper, and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, stirring to ensure no clumps form, then turn off the heat.
Mix the pasta and the sauce together either in the pan or the pasta pot, whichever gives you more room to mix.
If needed to thin it out, add a little of the reserved pasta water. Garnish with parmesan and enjoy!
Variations on Mushroom Alfredo Sauce
these are some ways to change up this recipe!
- Add Protein: Stir in grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, shrimp, or crispy bacon.
- Garlic Lover’s Version: Add extra garlic or a pinch of garlic powder for deeper flavor.
- Spinach Mushroom Alfredo: Wilt fresh spinach into the sauce before adding pasta.
- Lighter Alfredo: Use low-fat milk and reduce the Parmesan slightly.
- Vegan Option: Use plant-based butter, milk, broth, and vegan Parmesan.
Mushroom Alfredo Recipe FAQs
Alfredo sauce is best fresh, but leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Add a little reserved pasta water, milk, or broth until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Cook them in a hot pan without crowding and avoid stirring too often so they can brown properly.
Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk or broth to loosen the sauce.
Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!
Mushroom Alfredo Sauce Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 10 ounces White Button Mushrooms, Sliced
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 3 Tablespoons Butter, salted
- 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth
- ½ cup Milk, whole or 2% Milk or 1% Milk
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
- 10 ounces Pasta, dry uncooked (fettuccine or any other shape)
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta water (taken after pasta is cooked)
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Clean the mushrooms with a dry paper towel, then slice. Mince the garlic.
Cooking Steps
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and cook pasta to al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain well, but save a cup of the cooking pasta water for adding to the sauce if needed.
- While the pasta is cooking, preheat a large frying pan or skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil to the pan and then add the sliced mushrooms (no salt or pepper yet). Spread them out into a layer so as many mushrooms as possible are touching the skillet bottom. Let sit without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms get a beautiful browned sear. Then stir so that the other sides brown. Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper and let the mushrooms cook down for another 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
- To the pan used for the mushrooms, turn down the heat to low, add the butter to melt, then whisk in the flour until combined. Slowly whisk in the stock/broth until smoothly combined. Then whisk in the milk. Add the mushrooms, garlic, ground pepper, and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer, stirring to ensure no clumps form, then turn off the heat.
- Mix the pasta and the sauce together either in the pan or the pasta pot, whichever gives you more room to mix. If needed to thin it out, add a little of the reserved pasta water. Garnish with parmesan and enjoy!
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