Easy Creamy Mushroom Bucatini Recipe

There are few foods I love more in this world than pasta and, if I really had my way, I would eat it just about every day if I could. Even though I don’t eat pasta every single day of my life, I do make it quite frequently. Sometimes, however, I get a little bit bored of the pasta dishes I have in my repertoire and I want something a little bit different. And that’s why I developed this fantastic mushroom bucatini recipe.

What is better than a delicious pasta dish with a lot of deep and complex flavours that can be thrown together in fewer than 20 minutes? Very little, I would say. What makes this recipe even better, if you ask me, is the fact that it only uses a handful of ingredients that you already likely have in your pantry!

I’ve also used a traditional technique similar to what is in my fettuccine alfredo recipe and lemon pasta recipe to make a creamy finished product without actually using any cream at all. So if you’re interested in a quick, tasty and flavourful weeknight pasta dish that you can make even when you’re having the busiest of days, then look no further than this!

How to Make Creamy Bucatini with Mushrooms

We will begin by cooking your pasta. I know that I have mentioned bucatini a lot already, but you can really use any kind of pasta you’d like with this.

It would be almost exactly the same with spaghetti, for instance, or it would be wonderful with a tube pasta like rigatoni. I just personally really love bucatini so that is my preferred pasta shape (I also like use it in my pasta puttanesca).

Bring a very large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add your pasta and cook it for a minute or two less than the manufacturer suggests on the label — this is because we a) want it al dente and b) we will finish cooking the pasta in the skillet with the sauce.

While your pasta is cooking, it’s time to build your sauce. This sauce is so easy that you can really do it in your sleep but there are a few steps to it.

I also highly recommend having all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking because though the sauce is quick to throw together, it is mostly active cooking time so you won’t have a lot of time to, say, chop some mushrooms while your garlic is toasting.

So in a large skillet, add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and your thinly sliced garlic. Then, turn the heat to medium-low and gently bring the oil up to heat while the garlic toasts. Starting the garlic in a cold pan with cold oil will prevent it from scorching and burning, which is actually really easy to do with garlic.

When your garlic reaches a light golden brown colour, carefully remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and set it aside — we will add it back in later. Then, turn your heat to medium, add a bit more oil if necessary, and add in your mushrooms.

Throw a generous pinch of salt in with your mushrooms to encourage them to release their moisture quickly and begin to brown.

Adequately browning the mushrooms is the most important step of all in the recipe as it really adds to the flavour profile.

So, stirring and tossing frequently, cook your mushrooms until they are very browned and have significantly reduced in size, about 5-8 minutes. I also call for browning mushrooms in recipes like my mushroom sauce and in my green beans and mushrooms.

Once your mushrooms have adequately browned, carefully ladle a small amount of pasta cooking water into the skillet and stir to mix in well. Then, once your pasta has finished cooking, use tongs to remove it from the water and add it directly to the skillet.

Don’t drain the pasta because you’re going to want to hang onto the cooking water — it’s likely you’re going to need more of it.

Sprinkle your Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the pasta and, using your tongs, gently toss the pasta so that it is evenly coated in the cheese and a creamy, emulsified sauce begins to form. If needed, ladle in more pasta water to get the right consistency of the sauce.

Continue tossing and cooking until the sauce is cohesive and homogenous, about another minute or so. Give a noodle a taste to both check for doneness and seasoning. If needed, adjust with a bit of salt and pepper.

Turn off the heat and add in your toasted garlic and a good amount of chopped fresh parsley. Use your tongs to toss this in to combine. Taste again to adjust for seasoning.

Now, all you need to do is serve it into individual bowls! Go ahead and top with some more cheese if desired and serve immediately. You’re sure to absolutely love this easy and flavourful Italian dish. And if you’re after another mushroom-based pasta, check out my mushroom pappardelle!

As you can see, this recipe only uses about five ingredients and is delightfully simple to make. This pasta dish is sure to become a quick favourite as it’s so quick to come together that you can make it any night of the week!

Are you searching for the perfect mushroom bucatini recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!