Rich earthy flavors of mushrooms, a decadent cream sauce and fresh herbs tossed with ribbony tagliatelle pasta is one of the tastiest mushroom dishes I’ve ever made. This creamy mushroom pasta uses a mixed of sauteed mushrooms to provide layers of flavor. The key is sauteing them well with chopped rosemary and thyme allowing that woodsy herb-ness to soak in. I also made it gluten free as well as vegetarian by using a corn-based gluten free pasta.
Jump to RecipeA Tuscan Inspiration
The Tagliatelle ai Funghi dish was part of our Tour of Italy wine pairing menu as a primo course. It is inspired by flavors of Tuscany, well known for their mushrooms that provide deep, umami flavors.
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Wine Pairing
Original Pairing: Conte De Castignano Torre Del Sasso Chiantai from Tuscany
General Pairing: Chianti, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Rose (light to medium bodied reds)
Special Ingredients
Mushroom Mix
A blend of mushrooms allows a variety of flavors and textures into this dish. My blend of mushrooms focuses on what was available locally in my area (Seattle): cremini, white button, shitake (sub for porcini), and oyster. If you can find fresh Porcini mushrooms, I highly recommend using them in your blend. A word of warning – do not use frozen mushrooms – they get unpleasantly chewy.
Fresh Rosemary and Thyme
It is worth using fresh rosemary and thyme which is often available in the produce section of stores. Even better if its from your yard. Using fresh herbs allow the essential oils to release and infuse with the mushrooms. They also cook up tenderly so you don’t get dry twiggy bits in your pasta.
Gluten-Free Pasta
To make this dish truly gluten-free you will need gluten-free pasta. I highly recommend those made with corn, as they tend to hold up well with chew and not dissolve. Trader Joes had a very nice gluten-free tagliatelle (which is what we used). You can also use a Fettuccini (narrower noodle) or Pappardelle (wider noodle) with the mushroom sauce.
Tagliatelle
![Le Venezian - Italian Fettucee [Gluten Free] (4) - 8.8 Oz Pkgs](https://i0.wp.com/havewinewillpair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/gf-fed-pasta.jpg?fit=1024%2C646&ssl=1)
Fettuccini
Pappardelle
Planning the dish
You can make the sauce for the dish a day or two ahead of serving. Refridgerate the sauce, do not freeze it (freezing may ruin the texture of the mushrooms). Warm up the sauce while boiling the pasta, 20 minutes before serving. This gives you time to toss them together and serve warm.
Timing the Elements
1-2 days prior: make the mushroom sauce, keep in refrigerator
Early Day of: prep desired garnishes (shaved parmesan, sundried tomato, parsley)
1 hour to Serve: start heating water to boil for pasta (if doing a large pot, this can take a while)
30 min to Serve: Start heating up sauce on low, begin cooking pasta (cook in batches if needed)
15 min to Serve: Toss cooked pasta with 1/2 the cream sauce
Serve: Plate pasta, top with more mushroom cream sauce and garnish
Plating Tips
Italian dishes are often rustic and best served simply. Top with a few shavings of parmesan, a bit of sundried tomato and sprinkling of finely chopped Italian parsley. These not only bring a little color, but subtlety add to the flavors of the dish. You can do this serving it family style in one large dish, or individually plated.
For a fancy small plate look, create a swirl of pasta using a fork then carefully releasing on to th plate. Carefully layer on more sauce with just a bit over and mostly around the plate. Then garnish as desired.
(see Wares section for plating supplies & ideas)
Pairing Alterations
Mushroom Mix
You can shift the level of earthiness of this dish to a lighter flavor by changing the the mushroom mix. Switch the amount of cremini mushrooms and white mushrooms (making this 50% of the mix). You can also leave out the shitake mushrooms as they are the strongest flavor.
Herb Options
Instead of rosemary, which paired incredibly well with our Chianti, you can try some less potent herbs. Oregano is a good alternative without shifting it too much. But you can also try taragon or basil for punchy fresh flavors (try each with your wine first to see how it compliements).
Recipe
Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushroom Sauce)
Ingredients
Mushroom Sauce
- 16 oz fresh mushroom mix (8 oz cremini, 4 oz shitake, 2oz white, 2 oz oyster)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil using a couple TB at a time
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cooking sherry
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced removed any woody stem parts
- 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced remove any tough stems
- 1/2 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup cream cheese room temp
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Pasta
- 20 oz dried tagliatelle pasta gluten-free option
Garnishes
- 30 pieces parmesan shavings 3 piece per serving
- 2 1/2 tsp sundried tomato in oil, drained and chopped 1/4 tsp per serving
- 10 tsp fresh Italian parsley, finely minced 1 tsp per serving
Instructions
Prep & Season Mushrooms
- Clean mushrooms using a damp towel or paper towel removing any dirt or debris. Do no rinse directly in water as they will absorb it then release when cooking.
- Remove tough bottom part of stems. For shitake, remove entire stem. Slice off any "bad" looking parts of mushrooms.
- Slice medium slice mushrooms evenly across the cap. For larger mushrooms, cut into into bite size pieces about the same size or smaller to the medium size mushroosm. They will shrink when cooked. Place all cut mushrroms in a large bowl.
- Clean and press all herbs, garlic and onion. Make sure to finely mince everything and remove any tough or woody bits.
- Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil over mushrooms and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic over mushrooms and toss again to season evenly.
Make Cream Sauce
- Add a couple tbsp of olive oil to a large heavy pot and set over medium-high heat.
- Work in small batches to sauté the mushrooms stirring it occasionally until deeply golden brown, 10–15 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a large plate/bowl.
- Reduce heat to medium, and add onion. Stir onion occasionally until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.
- Deglaze with sherry and cook for 5 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Add cream to pot and allow to heat up a bit (not boiling).
- Then add cream cheese and stir in to melt completely.
- Add in mushrooms and fold gently into sauce. Allow sauce to begin bubbling stirring gently.
- Add in grated parmesan cheese and gently stir. This should also melt in completely.
- Taste and add any additional salt, black pepper as desired.
- If sauce is not thick enough, allow to cook longer to thicken up. If sauce seems too thick, add in warm water or more sherry a tablespoon at a time.
- When the sauce is ready, you can set it a side or store in refrigerator to use the next day. Simply warm it up while making pasta.
Make Pasta
- Set a large pot of water with a bit of salt to boil.
- Once at a rapid boil, add dried pasta stirring it in gently to loosen it up.
- Cook for a time based on package instructions. You want it tender enough to eat, but firm enough to hold up. It should have a bit of chew when biting into it.
- Drain pasta and set in a large bowl
Combine Pasta and Sauce
- Pour about 1/2 the mushroom sauce over pasta and toss together to fully coat pasta.
- Allow to rest for a few minutes to let the flavors sit with pasta.
Serving
- For indidual plating, place a mound of pasta on plate – dividing evenly across 10 plates. For family style, place all of pasta in a large serving dish.
- Pour remaining sauce over pasta.
- Garnish with shaved parmesan, sundried tomatoes and minced parsley sprinkled over pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make this ahead?
A: Yes, this dish works well by making the sauce component 1 to 2 days ahead of time. Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator. However, do no freeze as that will likely harm the texture of the mushrooms, making them chewy instead of tender.
Q: What mushrooms work best?
A: blend of mushrooms provided interest and texture to this dish. It can be anywhere from a few to several. I find the smaller delicate mushroom tend to dissolve or get lost in the creamy sauce. You can always add a few once the sauce is nearly done or as a lovely garnish. Here is a list of recommended mushroom types to use:
- Cremini mushrooms are a good base to begin with. They are richer than white mushroom and meaty enough to give nice bites.
- Porcini mushrooms are a classic Italian mushroom with deep flavor, however they are no always easy to find fresh. You can rehydrate dried porcini and chop finely to add in some of that flavor.
- Shitake mushrooms are are good alternative to porcini to add in deeper umami flavor. The stems are woody and don’t cook well, so be sure to remove all the stem.
- White mushrooms are budget friendly and can add some bulk to your overall mix. They have a more neutral taste, but will absorb all the other flavors well.
- Portabella mushrooms are nice a meaty. They have about the same flavor profile of cremini, so I usually would use one or the other.
- Oyster mushrooms – provide a more delicate texture to the mix, creating a nice variety.
