Easy, Italian-style recipe: Sun-dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta in a Garlic and Basil Cream Sauce. Enjoy this meatless pasta as is, or serve it with grilled chicken or grilled veggies!
If you're looking for a delicious and easy-to-make pasta recipe to add to your weekly/monthly recipe rotation, try this sun-dried tomato and mushroom pasta in a garlic and basil creamy sauce. The combination of flavors in this dish is SO GOOD, it's pure comfort food that you will be tempted to eat right out of the pan:
The fettuccine pasta is tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and basil in a very tasty, creamy and velvety sauce.
This Italian-inspired dish is great served with garlic bread on the side. And a big fresh salad. And please, don't forget about a glass of wine.
I've been eating the leftovers for 3 days now, and the pasta + the sauce still taste just great! The pasta is best reheated in a pan, on medium heat, with a little bit of milk added gradually to thin the sauce as it gets reheated.
This delicious, meatless pasta dish is TOTALLY WORTH making it!
Sun-dried tomato and mushroom pasta in a garlic and basil sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes (use Vegetarian "Chicken" Bouillon for vegetarian version)
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon dried basil or up to 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- ½ lb fettuccine pasta
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms and garlic - and cook the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.
- Dissolve 2 cubes of chicken bouillon in 2 cups of boiling water. Carefully add the broth to the skillet - continue to cook the vegetables in a chicken broth on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat. Add half and half, heavy cream and bring to boil just for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add the basil.
- If your sauce is too thick at this point - add another ½ cup half and half. If your sauce looks thin to you - do not continue simmering the sauce to thicken it as you will be adding pasta shortly (in the next step) - and pasta will absorb some of the sauce liquid. Even if the sauce looks thin now, it will not be so thin once you add pasta.
- Cook fettuccine al dente according to the package instruction. Drain and rinse in cold water (this will stop the cooking). Add the fettuccine into the sauce and continue cooking the sauce with the pasta in it, on medium heat, for a couple of minutes (or more - to achieve the desired thickness) stirring constantly to coat well.
- Note: do not add salt to the creamy sauce because it should already be salty enough from the dissolved chicken cubes. Only in the very end when the sauce is done, you may add some salt if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Shirley
I loved this! So easy and quick, my family loved it too, delicious!
Julia
I am so happy to hear that, Shirley! 🙂
Aimee
Love all the comments & looking forward to trying it. Can I use 2 cups of chicken broth instead of the bouillon? Also Penne instead of Fettuccine? Thank you.
Julia
Aimee, yes, you can use 2 cups of chicken broth instead of 2 chicken bouillon cubes + 2 cups of water. The only difference is that chicken bouillon cubes have much stronger flavor + seasonings + salt so you will get more flavor out of the bouillon cubes. But if using chicken broth, just adjust seasoning by adding extra salt, maybe Poultry seasoning, or Italian seasoning.
And, yes, you can use kind of pasta, including penne.
Enjoy - I hope you love it! 🙂
Lori
Too much water. Pasta was soupy. Flavor was good would’ve been better if less liquid
Julia
Thanks for the feedback, Lori!
John
I know better, I know better.
I should have made the recipe as written. Only used 1 cup of water as another commenter suggested and the pasta sucked up every bit of sauce.
Leason learned.
Julia
John, thank you for your helpful and honest feedback! I hope you try some of my othere recipes, too! 🙂
Joseph
Found the recipe rather bland.
Added some black peppercorns and chili flakes to give it a bit of kick.
Julia
You can also add smoked paprika, and don't forget to season everything with just the right amount of salt - that helps bring all the flavors together!
Adrienne Moore
Tried it...loved it! So easy and VERY tasty. I am not a big fan of boullion cubes so I substituted that (and the water) and used 2 cups of organic chicken broth. Added in red peppers as well and substituted the basil with some paprika. Lots of ways you can make this your own!
Julia
Adrienne, I love your variations, especially the addition of red peppers. So delish! ❤️
Stacy
OMg.. I haven’t even put the pasta in yet and the sauce is to die for!. I cooked it per directions and I’m glad it made a little extra for those other nights I don’t feel like cooking!
Mike
Absolutely loved the recipe!! Definitely will have this often.
Emme Thompson
I made this tonight and added lightly seasoned chicken thighs. This recipe is amazing and the flavor is on point. I used light cream instead of the heavy cream only because we were out and doubled it in place of the 1/2 and 1/2. Loved it
Joan H
Flavor was great, but wondered about the 2 cups of broth. Followed instructions anyway and as I feared, far too runny; in spite of using heavy cream and almost double Parm.
Next time, and there will be one, plan to use 1 cup of broth.
Good recipe otherwise, thanks!
Julia
Joan, thank you for this helpful feedback. Yes, use 1 cup of broth next time. Or cook it down significantly.
And, I am so glad you loved this recipe! ❤️
Patricia
I made this exactly like the recipe called for. It was delicious, quick and easy! Just wondered if I can use chicken stock next time instead of bullion?
Julia
Patricia, yes, you can just use chicken stock next time. In that case, you might have to adjust seasoning, as the bullion cubes provide a lot of flavor.
Heather
We love it!! My husband, who is generally just a huge carnivore, can't get enough of it. We follow your recipe exactly and it is divine. It's so comforting, as you say, and it now a regular, go-to recipe in our house. Thank you so much!!
Julia
Heather, I love reading comments like this. ❤️❤️ Thank you for the rave review!
Marlene
No more spaghetti & meatballs for me. When I crave pasta this is my go to dish. I have been making this recipe since 2015, it is so easy to make and delicious. Leftovers are even better the next day. Making it again for company, this time I am adding shrimp for some protein. Whether I make this just for myself or for company it is always a BIG winner. Love it!
Julia
Marlene, I just love your comment! Adding shrimp is a great way to add protein to pasta. Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment and the 5-star review! 🙂
Elvera
Loved this recipe. I used tagliatelle (did not have fettucini) and added basil pesto. It was delicious
Julia
Elvera, thank you for your comment and the 5-star review! 🙂
Sommer
Delicious! I used shrimp as I didn't have chicken on hand. This sauce was perfect! Such a tasty dinner! Thank you for this recipe. A keeper for us!
Julia
Sommer, I am so very happy you enjoyed this! Yes, this is a great sauce for chicken or shrimp. Thank you for taking the time to comment and Happy Holidays! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Susie
Hi there, I have a question. What can I substitute in place of the half and half and heavy cream? My toddler has milk protein allergy.
Thanks
Curtis
Excellent!
Julia
Thanks!
Caroline hines
I make this often. Basically i make a blend of your other recipe with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. I use plenty of freshly grated Parmesan from Italy. I can eat this for days.
CH
Florida
Julia
Caroline, your comment really made my day - thank you! Glad you're finding my recipes useful and practical and making them often. The Parmesan cheese from Italy is the best!
Lisa Cormier
I'll veganize this recipe for a kinder, animal friendly version. Thanks!!
Julia
Hi Lisa, somebody else posted the changes they made to a similar recipe, such as using rice noodles, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast instead of parmesan.
Lisa Cormier
Thanks, Julia! ☺
Aletheia
Hi Julia
Can this recipe be doubled or should I make 2batches and combine the two?
I want to make this for a pot luck dinner for about 8 to 10 people
Thanks
Aletheia
Julia
You can just double the recipe and use a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet. I would use a block of Parmesan cheese that you shred yourself. Shred the cheese as the first step, cover it with plastic wrap, and make sure the freshly shredded cheese is at room temperature (not refrigerator cold) before you add it to the sauce. That means you might have to warm up the cheese in the microwave briefly (without melting it). This will GREATLY help and make it easier to make a creamy, silky sauce. Enjoy!
Elvera
Loved this recipe. I used tagliatelle (did not have fettucini) and added basil pesto. It was delicious
Julia
Elvera, I am so glad you tried this recipe and loved it! 🙂 Love the addition of basil pesto!