This Mushroom Pasta with Mascarpone Sauce has got to be one of the creamiest, tastiest plates of pasta I've ever had. It's utterly simple to make, too. If you're looking for an easy Instant Pot Vegetarian dinner, this is the one you want.
What Makes This Pasta So Irresistible?
- Fast. A filling pasta dish that's ready in under 30 minutes.
- Easy. A simple pour and cook recipe that makes a great weeknight dinner.
- Vegetarian. With the heartiness of the mushrooms in the cream sauce, you won't even miss the meat.
- Delicious. It's rich, creamy, flavorful, and will have you reaching for a second helping.
I'm going to shoot straight with you, my husband and I almost got into a fight when I made this. He was supposed to photograph it and he looked at it and said, “You used a can of mushroom soup?” Does the man not know me??
OF COURSE NOT! This Mushroom Pasta recipe is the dish that will convince you that you never need to use a can of mushroom soup again.
This dish is so very creamy, cheesy, rich and absolutely crave-worthy. It's a simple mushroom pasta recipe, yet it's absolutely bursting with complex flavors! And if you consider yourself a pasta fan, prepare to indulge in what is probably one of the easiest yet tastiest vegetarian pasta dishes I have ever made. It truly is such an absolute delight that I find myself thinking about making it on a regular basis.
And you know what else makes this recipe so very appealing? How ridiculously quick and easy it is. As you probably already know, I'm all about taking a delicious dish and making it as simple as possible without compromising on flavor. This dish absolutely delivers on all fronts. It's made in my trusty Instant Pot, and it's done in less than 30 minutes with minimal effort on my part. It's seriously everything I dream of in a pasta recipe: simple, quick, and crazy delicious.
Are Mascarpone Cheese And Cream Cheese The Same Thing?
Though they definitely have their similarities, it all comes down to richness in flavor, fat content, and consistency.
Mascarpone has a higher fat content than cream cheese, which results in a richer flavor profile. Mascarpone also has a creamier, whipped-like texture that makes it perfect for this Mushroom Pasta recipe.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Fettuccini- Although it's not customary, you will need to break the pasta noodles in half to be able to fit them in the Instant Pot and submerge them in water.
- Butter
- Minced Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes- Adds just a touch of heat to help balance the fat content of the mascarpone cheese.
- Dried Thyme
- Ground Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Portabella Mushrooms- These will be sliced into small bite-sized pieces
- Onions
- Mascarpone Cheese- Creates the decadent sauce that perfectly covers every noodle
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Dried Thyme- This is an optional ingredient. If you don't have it in your spice rack, feel free to omit it.
How To Make Mushroom Pasta With Mascarpone Sauce
- Saute. Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté. Once the pot is hot, add butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add veggies. onions, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and water and stir.
- Add pasta. Put in the pasta and push down into the water as much as possible.
- Add cheese. Place the mascarpone cheese on top of the pasta. Do not stir otherwise your cheese could stick and burn.
- Cook. Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select PRESSURE COOK and set the pot at HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Stir. Open the lid and stir. Stir in the parmesan cheese and mix well, allowing the mixture to thicken.
- Serve. Garnish with thyme and serve.
Tips And Tricks
- When I say don't stir after adding the mascarpone cheese to the Instant Pot, I really mean don't stir! That is unless you like the flavor of burnt cheese in your dishes.
- Serve with a simple salad and some crusty bread on the side to sop up all that delicious sauce.
- If you are having a hard time finding mascarpone cheese (or if you just don't feel like going to the grocery store), you can use cream cheese mixed with heavy whipping cream in its place. Simply mix 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with a 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix well. I do highly recommend picking up some mascarpone cheese though, as it gives the Mushroom Pasta a richer taste.
How Long Does It Last?
Pasta is always a great dish to double up on when you're cooking because it makes some of the best leftovers. The noodles continue to absorb the flavor the longer they are sitting in the sauce.
For the best bite, I would suggest enjoying this mushroom pasta within 4-5 days of preparing it.
What To Serve With Mushroom Pasta
This mushroom pasta can easily be a full meal on its own, but if you're looking for a way to take your dinner table to the next level, try enjoying it with a few of these tasty sides:
Looking For More Great Italian Dishes?
- Mascarpone Mushroom Pasta - Enjoy a delicious mushroom pasta made quickly in your air fryer!
- Tuscan Chicken - Creamy, garlicky, comforting chicken perfection.
- Instant Pot Tortellini Soup With Spinach - Make this vegetarian soup in less than 15 minutes.
- Keto Basil Pesto Chicken - Creamy, delicious and low carb!
- Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta - Seriously one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had.
- Italian Stuffed Steak Rolls - Easy, cheesy and made easily in your air fryer.
- Antipasto Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette - A delightful Italian salad that’s perfect any day of the week!
Once you've had this Mushroom Pasta with Mascarpone Sauce, you'll wish you'd known about it earlier. Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!
Mushroom Pasta With Mascarpone Sauce
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 8 ounces Portabella Mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 3/4 cups Water
- 8 ounces Fettuccine broken in half
- 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1-2 sprigs Dried Thyme optional
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté. Once the pot is hot, add butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add onions, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and water and stir.
- Put in the pasta and push down into the water as much as possible.
- Place the mascarpone cheese on top of the pasta. Do not stir otherwise your cheese could stick and burn.
- Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select PRESSURE COOK and set the pot at HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. Allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid and stir. Stir in the parmesan cheese and mix well, allowing the mixture to thicken.
- Garnish with thyme and serve.
Notes
- When I say don't stir after adding the mascarpone cheese to the Instant Pot, I really mean don't stir! That is unless you like the flavor of burnt cheese in your dishes.
- Serve with a simple salad and some crusty bread on the side to sop up all that delicious sauce.
- If you are having a hard time finding mascarpone cheese (or if you just don't feel like going to the grocery store), you can use cream cheese mixed with heavy whipping cream in its place. Simply mix 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese with a 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix well. I do highly recommend picking up some mascarpone cheese though, as it gives the Mushroom Pasta a richer taste.
Don't forget to check out my other Best-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot, Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy, Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot.
Susan Ainsworth Smith
I tried this last night, I used wide egg noodles (6 oz) because that’s all I had. I reduced the water just a tad but I think I could have still used the full amount and it wouldn’t have been too watery. I wanted to keep it vegan so I used vegan butter and vegan sour cream, instead of mascarpone because that’s what I had in the fridge. It was delicious! I’ve got a bit of leftover that I’m going to add some steamed broccoli to.
TwoSleevers
Love hearing modifications that worked well! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Cherrie Ellis
What if you dont own an instant pot?
Mary
I did this without an Instant Pot because I was using Carba Nada noodles & was unsure of the timing cooking them in the Instant Pot. I sauteed everything in the pan, added the mascarpone cheese & thinned the sauce with some pasta water. It worked great & tasted spectacular!