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    Home » Budget

    Creamy Mushroom Pasta (no cream!)

    Published: Dec 2, 2020 · Modified: May 7, 2021 by Genevieve

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    There are days when you just want creamy, carby, comfort food but alas! Need to watch the calories because you're responsible and keeping track to make sure you don't go over your daily intake. Hear me out - it's possible to have it all. This super yum creamy mushroom pasta recipe has all the creaminess that you love WITHOUT any cream added.

    Sounds good? I bet.

    Close up image of creamy mushroom pasta on a plate
    Jump to:
    • Swap cream with milk!
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Variations
    • Other delicious healthy pasta recipes you might like
    • 📖 Recipe

    Swap cream with milk!

    How do you make a creamy mushroom sauce without cream you ask. The secret: bechamel sauce. You know that lovely, thick, creamy top layer of a lasagne? Use that!

    Basic bechamel sauce (aka white sauce)

    Really simple, bechamel sauce is made of butter, milk, flour, salt and pepper. You can jazz it up by adding some nutmeg if you're in the mood.

    By simply swapping out the cream with a healthier option - bechamel sauce, you've got a healthier, lower in calories yet delicious creamy mushroom pasta!

    Ingredients

    Overhead shot of all ingredients required for creamy mushroom pasta
    • Lemon juice for this recipe is super important. It'll add a lemony tang to the pasta, works perfectly with the creaminess of this mushroom sauce. Honestly, without a squeeze or two of lemon juice, this pasta will be pretty flat.
    • Parsley adds freshness to the pasta and a lovely aroma too. Definitely use fresh parsley here - not the dried stuff.
    • Veggie stock can substitute for chicken stock if you're following a vegetarian diet. This will just help the mushrooms out and add more flavour into the dish.
    • Milk you're already being mindful by swapping cream out with milk, use full cream milk/whole milk.
    • Mushrooms I prefer using brown/swish mushrooms as I find they have more flavour than white button mushrooms. However when I went shopping for this recipe, white mushrooms were on sale.. I had to!

    Step by step instructions

    • Onions cooking in a skillet
    • Mushrooms added into skillet
    • stirring mushrooms cooking in a skillet
    • mushrooms cooked to golden brown in a skillet

    There are roughly two parts to this.

    Get as much flavour onto the mushrooms as possible

    Here is an important tip.

    You want to really add a good colour on the mushrooms first. Colour means flavour. Which means flavourful mushrooms. Get it nice and golden brown by cooking on high heat. Stirring every minute or 2, this part will take about 5 or 6 minutes.

    Once the mushrooms look like above image #4, remove from pan and set aside.

    • Butter melting in skillet
    • flour added into melted butter
    • milk slowly being added into skillet of butter and flour mixture
    • browned mushrooms added back int skillet
    • pepper being added into creamy mushroom sauce
    • Pasta being tossed and mixed into creamy mushroom sauce with a pair of tongs

    Making the bechamel sauce (white sauce)

    Once the butter has melted and flour mixed in, make sure to slowly incorporate the milk in. Stirring constantly, add a little milk in at a time. Best use a whisk for this step or at least get the whisk out for any stubborn lumpy bits that just won't go away.

    Once the sauce is smooth, let it simmer for a minute before mixing in the sauteed mushrooms, stock and seasoning (salt and pepper).

    Creamy alfredo sauce?

    If you want, mix in some grated parmesan or cheddar cheese at this stage. This will then be an alfredo sauce. But be mindful.. if you add a lot then it defeats the purpose of making the healthy version of a creamy mushroom pasta. Heck, just an option if you decide to opt-out half-way through cooking.

    No! you're committed to a healthy pasta today. Stick to it. Only a little freshly grated parmesan to serve.

    Large pot/skillet of creamy mushroom pasta

    Look at how creamy it is and it's all possible with some milk, flour and butter!

    Don't worry, you don't need much butter at all to make a delicious bechamel sauce (white sauce).

    Close up of forkful of twirled pasta

    I used spaghetti to go with this healthy creamy mushroom sauce but feel free to have a bit of fun and use other shapes such as penne, fettuccine or if you dare.. macaroni pasta.

    A plate of creamy mushroom pasta

    Variations

    • Add some rotisserie chicken breasts for a more balanced meal - more protein and fewer carbs.
    • Mix in some spinach leaves to add some greens in your meal if you can't be bothered to make a side of salad.
    • Try this recipe with a mix of different mushroom varieties! Such as oyster, porcini, shimeji, enoki, etc. The flavours will be even better!

    Other delicious healthy pasta recipes you might like

    • Vegetarian bolognese ft. roast pumpkin - vegan and packed full of flavour!
    • Healthy-ish chicken and broccoli pasta - delicious yet light
    • Easy garlic prawn pasta - 15 minute, tangy flavour bomb

    Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions, drop me a note in the comments section below. 🙂

    Happy cooking!

    📖 Recipe

    Close up of a plate of creamy mushroom pasta

    Creamy mushroom pasta (healthy!)

    Delicious creamy mushroom pasta recipe with all the creaminess that you love WITHOUT any cream added!
    4.67 from 63 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 380kcal

    Ingredients

    • 400 g /14 oz swiss/brown mushrooms button mushrooms, thickly sliced
    • 400 g /14 oz dried spaghetti or your choice of pasta shape
    • 1 brown onion finely diced
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon (note 1)
    • ½ cup fresh parsley finely sliced (note 2)
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Bechamel sauce w/ veggie stock

    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
    • 2 tablespoon plain flour
    • 50 g /2oz butter or 4 tablespoon butter

    To serve (optional)

    • Freshly grated parmesan cheese
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Make sure to salt the pasta cooking water, about 1 - 2 tbsp.
    • In a large skillet/pan, cook onions until lightly golden and soft. On medium heat for about 5 minutes.
    • Add minced garlic and stir through for 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
    • Add sliced mushrooms and turn the heat to high. Cook mushrooms until golden brown. This will take about 5 - 6 minutes. Remove and set aside. (note 3)
    • Same pan, melt butter on low heat then stir in flour.
    • Once flour and butter have comebined, slowly pour in milk. Stiring constantly. Best use a whisk at this stage. The sauce should be quite thick.
    • Now, slowly pour in vegetable stock as you whisk the sauce. The stock will loosen the sauce up into a smooth creamy sauce. Allow sauce to simmer for 1 minute.
    • Add sauteed mushrooms, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Continue to cook on low heat. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning.
    • Mix in cooked pasta and fresh parsley. Thoroughly mix the sauce into the pasta, for about 2 minutes. If the sauce needs loosening, mix in some of the reserved pasta cooking water.
    • Optional (but highly recommended): serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

    Video

    Notes

    Note 1. Lemon juice will add a lemony tang to the pasta and lift the dish up. Without lemon juice here, the pasta will taste quite flat. Just before serving, taste the pasta a little and add more lemon juice if desired.
    Note 2. Fresh parsley is a non-negotiable. Stay away from dried parsley for this recipe as we want the parsley to add freshness to the pasta.  
    Note 3. Browning the mushrooms will add flavour into the overall dish. The more colour (without burning of course), the mushroom gets from cooking in high heat, the more flavour it'll develop. Tip: do not constantly stir the mushrooms. Only stir every 1 - 2 minutes. Leaving mushrooms undisturbed on a hot pan draws out the moisture which then evaporates and only then browning begins. The more mushrooms there are in a pan, the longer it takes for the browning process to begin. This recipe calls for 400g / 14oz of mushrooms so give time before stirring. 
    Note 3. Leftovers this will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in an airtight container. Up to 2 months in the freezer. 
     
    Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.3g | Protein: 12.3g | Fat: 16.9g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 5.6g | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nigel Bell

      January 02, 2024 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      Worked perfectly, but for a first make my own sauce person, quantities for items, such as flour, milk etc, would have been helpful.

      BUT, still very delicious. Loved it.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        January 12, 2024 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Nigel, the recipe card with ingredient quantities + instructions are just above the comments section. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    2. Zara

      May 17, 2023 at 4:12 pm

      5 stars
      This was delicious and so creamy! I added shredded chicken and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        May 18, 2023 at 11:02 am

        Thank you so much Zara! 🙂 Very happy to hear that you liked it. Shredded chicken was a great addition!

        Reply
    3. Paula J

      March 01, 2022 at 11:35 pm

      haven't tried the recipe yet, but am shocked to see "Make sure to salt the pasta cooking water, about 1 - 2 tbsp". 1 - 2 TABLEspoons of salt, I would put less than a teaspoon in a large saucepan of water. Are you sure you mean tablespoons???
      Will try recipe soon but with far less salt!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        March 09, 2022 at 8:59 am

        Hi Paula, yes! I meant tablespoons! It may sound like a lot but vast majority of the salt will be discarded (along with the cooking water) and only some will actually go into the pasta. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kat

      December 20, 2021 at 8:22 am

      5 stars
      I’ve been looking for the perfect mushroom béchamel recipe but somehow it never hit the mark. This is the first time I’m trying your recipe and it’s exactly what I was looking for. The perfect blend of creaminess and mushroom flavor. I added some red chili flakes for an extra kick. So good! this one is a keeper for sure.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        December 20, 2021 at 4:26 pm

        Hi Kat, thank you so much for your lovely review. Really happy that this recipe hit the mark for you! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Tash

      October 19, 2021 at 11:59 pm

      5 stars
      I haven't made this delightful dish yet.....just found it now. But when making my bechamel I use extra virgin olive oil instead of butter & skim milk, to make it even more healthy! I don't see a difference in taste, although I have to admit I find full cream milk, butter very rich & they give me tummy issues. I was wondering, as you add lemon juice to add zing, could you use Greek yogurt instead of Bechamel sauce & the lemon juice? It's super healthy, creamy & has it's sour notes to replace the lemon? What do you think? Like I said I just found you, & will be a regular visitor from now😁! Thankyou for taking the time making these scrummy dishes & sharing them with us!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 20, 2021 at 11:18 am

        Hi Tash, thank you so much for your lovely note! I've never tried using Greek yoghurt instead however, I suspect it might curddle in the cooking process. So if you'd like to give it a go, I suggest turning the heat off then mix in Greek yoghurt and a little pasta cooking water to loosen. For extra flavour, you could add some chicken/veg stock powder. Hopefully this will prevent the curddling from happening. Keep in mind, curddling won't impact the flavour so even if it does, it should still taste good. Oh and the zing from lemon juice is on the subtle side whereas Greek yoghurt's tanginess would be stronger. Hope it turns out the way you like it! -Gen

        Reply
    6. Angela

      August 17, 2021 at 6:35 am

      Can you use a milk substitute like oat milk?

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        August 17, 2021 at 10:30 am

        Hi Angela, I've not tried using oat milk for this recipe before however I suspect it might curdle!

        Reply
    7. Aditi Aditi

      July 24, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      Best recipe ever, I am a vegetarian and this recipe is best suited to me as I don't use egg. Thanks so much for posting it.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        July 24, 2021 at 4:12 pm

        Glad you like this! Thanks for your kind comment Aditi 🙂

        Reply
        • Barry

          June 11, 2022 at 9:49 pm

          5 stars
          Just made this super quick and easy to follow I made this for my wife as I don't like mushrooms but I enjoyed this too!

          Reply
          • Genevieve

            June 13, 2022 at 12:22 pm

            Very happy to hear Barry! Glad it worked out well 🙂

            Reply
    8. Jojo

      May 19, 2021 at 3:03 am

      Absolutely delicious... My 1st experience with mushrooms was very successful. I'm officially a new fan.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        May 19, 2021 at 4:05 pm

        That's fantastic to hear Jojo! 😀 Mushrooms are awesome!

        Reply

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