You can effortlessly whip up a restaurant-quality dish of Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta in your own kitchen. This meal is so rich and delicious, you’ll want to lick the platter clean.
My spouse and I secretly took a vacation to New York City in December to check it off our bucket list. Not long after getting back to the mothership, I posted some images to Instagram, but I haven’t mentioned it here yet!
Seeing New York City around Christmastime has always been a goal of mine, and I finally got to make that dream a reality.
While taking in a Lin Manuel Miranda off-Broadway performance, sipping cocktails at historic pubs, and taking advantage of the New York Ferry—the city’s best-kept secret—on a waterfront cruise for $2.75 Then enjoying a gluten-free culinary masterpiece at Senza Gluten, a restaurant that serves only gluten-free food—the trip exceeded all of our expectations and more!
Entering a restaurant with the knowledge that you can order anything inside must be an overwhelming feeling for someone with Celiac Disease or a food allergy/intolerance. Even though it’s strange to start thinking about what you GET to purchase instead than what you HAVE to buy, we were able to overcome any obstacles that came our way once we embraced our fortunate condition. Everything was ordered, and then some. Cocktails were perfect, sides were noteworthy, meals were fantastic, and calamari was the greatest we’d ever eaten (GF or not!).
- My gluten-free rigatoni with mixed mushrooms, smoked prosciutto, truffle oil, and a rich cream sauce was the most unforgettable dish I’ve ever had. Our intimate trattoria setting, lighted by candles, was the icing on the cake. To put it mildly, it was enchanted!
My spouse has declared this dish my “best recipe yet” (woo!) when I returned home from my dining experience at Senza Gluten. You won’t believe how easy it is to whip up this restaurant-quality Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta recipe at home; it’s so good, you’ll want to lick the bowl clean.
Pasta with Creamy Parmesan and Mushrooms
So, here’s the deal: I made sure this pasta dish was easy to make at home by retaining all the tastes from my NYC meal but switching up a few ingredients.
No wine is required (save it for sipping!) to coat cooked gluten-free fettuccini in a handmade, reduced-fat parmesan cream sauce adorned with sautéed mushrooms, crispy bacon, plenty of garlic, and delicate baby spinach. Before you slather it with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, pour it with lemon juice, and eat it, be sure to swirl it around your fork.
After making this gluten-free spaghetti meal, you will feel like a real chef.
A Parmesan Cream Sauce with Less Fat
The key to making a rich cream sauce that adheres to the pasta but is lighter (than what you’d get at a restaurant) is to use the water from cooking the pasta. The starch in the pasta water can be used to thicken the creamy parmesan sauce by adding a little of the cooking water while mixing the al dente pasta with it.
In front of your very eyes, the sauce will transform from runny and loosely attached to the pasta to thick and tightly packed. Keeping stirring is all it takes, even if you doubt it will happen. Presented below!
First Steps in Preparing Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta:
Cook the Bacon until Crispy
In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the diced bacon. Remove part of the bacon oil from the skillet and set aside. Once the bacon is crisp, transfer it to a paper towel-lined dish to drain.
Phase 2: Brown the Mushrooms
Sauté the shallots and cut mushrooms until the shallots soften and the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates. After the mushrooms have begun to turn a golden brown color and become soft, add minced garlic and a pinch of dried thyme. Keep sautéing.
Thaw the Parmesan Cream Sauce (Step 3).
After the chicken stock and heavy cream have simmered in the skillet, toss in the freshly grated parmesan cheese until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Simmer for a minute or two after adding fresh baby spinach until it wilts somewhat.
Pasta and Thicken Sauce, Step 4
After the gluten-free fettuccini has been cooked to an al dente texture in a separate pot (the recipe card has timing instructions), transfer it to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened and become creamy.
To make a sauce that sticks to the pasta, gradually add about 1/4 cup of pasta boiling water while stirring constantly. The pasta and sauce will appear to be floating apart until, as previously mentioned, the starches bring about a complete thickening of the sauce just before serving, causing it to adhere to the pasta. You’ll know it’s done when you see that.
Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice (don’t worry about the dish tasting lemony; the goal is to merely brighten it up), add the bacon, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Spoon into individual dishes and garnish with additional parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.
Enjoy this authentic New York flavor in the comfort of your own home; I hope you adore it!
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