In my rule book, elements of a warm pasta dish include a creamy, silky sauce with some of my favorite vegetables and it comes together in no time. The creamy pasta with mushroom sauce fits the bill.

The magic ingredient in this creamy pasta is simply reserved pasta water. In essence, I’m making cream of mushroom with parmesan and plenty of fresh black pepper.

Creamy Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

Spaghetti noodles
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
1 box of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of milk, warmed slightly in microwave (I used skim)
Parmesan cheese
Reserved pasta water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook 8 oz of spaghetti noodles in boiling water that is just an inch above the pasta. We’re making some starchy water!
2. While water is coming to a boil/noodles are cooking, in a separate pan, add in butter and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are slightly tender. Feel free to cook it on high to add a little color to the mushrooms too.
3. Stir in tablespoon of flour and let it cook with the mushrooms and butter for a minute.
4. Stir in warm milk and continue to mix until well-combined.
5. Once mixed, add in about a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese (you can absolutely measure with your heart) and black pepper.
6. As slow simmer starts in pan, add in the spaghetti noodles. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
7. Stir sauce and noodles together and add in pasta water as needed to help the pasta sauce stay creamy and bring it all together.
8. Top with more parm and salt/pepper to taste.