An easy 15 minute recipe for lazy nights when you crave some pasta goodness which comes through best in spaghetti! This Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio is a really quick and comforting meal involving really less ingredients. Its perfect for meatless weeknights!
Favorite pasta time peeps! Also featuring my favorite veggie - mushrooms in this 15 minute mushroom spaghetti aglio olio.
Just letting you in on a secret - we end up doing an aglio olio pasta at least once a week. It's our lazy dinner night when we don't really want to do any chopping or too much cooking and would much rather spend that time slouching on the couch in our pyjamas and watching Netflix. Are you with me?
We are such pros at spaghetti aglio olio now that these days it's all about variations. The classic aglio olio does make an appearance once in awhile, but let's see what else we can do with it. Enter Bacon Spaghetti Aglio Olio which is still my favorite but currently topping the charts has to be this Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio. I even have a super quick video to show you how to make this
Watch How to Make Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio Video
We always have spaghetti in the kitchen cupboard, obviously. We are a carb loving family. And there is nothing to this recipe except spaghetti, good quality extra virgin olive oil, some parsley (dried or fresh) and chilli flakes. Which is why it's so easy to do variations! We recently did a Goan Chorizo Sausage version which was mind blowing (coming up soon).
Ingredients for Mushroom Pasta
Here's what you'll need:
- Mushrooms: I'm using two varieties - button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Take off the hardy stem before you use them. You can also use other varieties such as cremini, porcini etc.
- Olive Oil: Lots of it and don't skimp here, because this is what emulsifies with pasta water to create a delicious slippery sauce that coats the noodles
- Garlic: Chopped garlic that's simmered slowly in olive oil to impart all of that flavour
- Chilli Flakes: A must have for extra flavour and a hit of heat that's perfect
- Parmesan: Only the best kind you can find
- Salt: Salt for cooking the pasta and a little for the sauce. They say pasta water should taste like sea water
- Parsley: For freshness and flavour right at the end
The aglio olio, any version of it, is really Denver's favorite, which is why I love making it so often. I think he's a secret gourmand who loves the finer things in life. Unlike me who is mostly a glutton and will stuff her face with anything, any time of the day.
But seriously guys, this one's perfect for nights when all you want to do is slouch and watch. Who's with me here?
This post was first published on September 13, 2016 and updated on August 4, 2021 with a new recipe video and some changes to the recipe to improve it
15 minutes Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Ingredients
- 250 grams Spaghetti
- ⅓ cup Olive oil divided
- 200 grams Button Mushrooms cleaned and cut in half
- 100 grams Oyster Mushrooms
- 7-8 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped Parsley
- 2 - 3 tablespoons Parmesan grated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil spaghetti in salted water as per package instructions until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before you drain the pasta.
- While the spaghetti is boiling, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add mushrooms. Saute on medium high heat for a few minutes till golden brown on all sides.
- In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil and garlic. On a low heat, cook the garlic for a few minutes till a light golden brown. Add chilli flakes and the reserved pasta water, half teaspoon salt and let this cook and reduce till the sauce emulsifies (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the cooked spaghetti, mushrooms, parsley and toss well till the sauce coats the pasta. Top with grated parmesan and serve
Video
Notes
- Always add the pasta to boiling water. Never add pasta to warm or room temperature water. Time it and cook it till al dente.
- Reserve some of the pasta water as the starch present in this will help thicken the sauce.
- Cook mushroom on medium high heat instead of low heat. Slow cooking tends to make the mushroom limp and leave out water. Do not overcook.
- Time it so that the spaghetti gets cooked just about the same time the sautéed mushroom aglio olio is ready. This way the spaghetti won't harden and the mushrooms won't leave out water.
- Feel free to swap the mushrooms for something else like bacon (see bacon aglio olio) or shrimp (see shrimp aglio olio)
Katrina Cheney says
Tried the new version tonight, not gonna lie we very much preferred the old version. The butter added so much more flavor and the mushrooms stuck to the pasta. In the new version the mushrooms and garlic all fell to the bottom of the bowl.
Richa says
I'm so sorry about that. I'll try to add the old recipe in the notes section so that you can still refer to it if you like
Antara says
This had been my go to recipe for years now. Even now sitting in New Zealand I'm using local insurgents and same recipe and it's still so yummy.
Cindy says
This sounds good. However, you need to find a dairy free substitute for the cheese for those who have lactose problems.
Nilima Srikantha says
Excellent! We used cappellini noodles which made a slightly lighter dish. Garlic oil was perfect. I was out of red pepper flakes, so added a touch of cayenne. A fast recipe for dinner. One we will certainly use over and over.
Richa Gupta says
Yes, Nilima! This mushroom aglio olio is so simple and satisfying! Stick around for more fun recipes!
Ingrid says
Delicious! I’d add more mushrooms, maybe a mix of crimini, etc.
but otherwise a 5 Star dinner.
Richa Gupta says
Glad you liked our aglio olio recipe, Ingrid!
Rita says
Absolutely looks delicious thank you for posting it
Richa Gupta says
Thanks Rita, glad you liked our simple aglio oglio recipe!
Shefali says
Loved the Recipe.... Its my 3 year old's favourite now...
n loved how easy it was to make it.
Richa Gupta says
So glad to hear it, Shefali! Thanks for trying and liking this mushroom aglio olio!
Dan R. says
Whoa. This looks amazing. Trying this week.
Richa Gupta says
How did it turn out, Dan? 🙂
Dawn says
Awesome recipe thanks so much for sharing! Highly recommend 😊
Belinda M says
This was perfect for a quick pasta supper. It came together in about 20 mins, including food prep. I added half of onion to the mushrooms. The pasta has an earthiness to it without being heavy. I saved some of the pasta water and it made the dish come together.
Richa says
So happy you liked the recipe Belinda! Thank you for leaving a comment
Carolyn says
Simple and easy to follow. We added some bacon and beef broth. High- quality organic exotic mushrooms really made the dish sing. Thank you!
Richa says
So happy you liked the recipe Carolyn! Thank you for leaving a comment
Heather says
I love this recipe. It's a go to meal for me and my husband. We combined your Bacon agio olio with this one. We fry up the bacon, take it out with a slotted spoon and throw in the garlic, mushroom, and throw in some onion. It's delicious! Thank you!
Kevin says
I caramelized onions with the garlic and crushed red pepper to cook down, added spinach to the mushrooms. Combined all just before serving. So good! Will totally make this again. Side note - I recommend using a high quality pasta as it really makes the dish complete.
Richa says
Sooo good! Thanks Kevin!
Haley says
Made this the other day and added a few slices of bacon I had in the fridge. It was so good , I'm making it again tonight and adding some spinach! Thanks for the recipe!
*All the way from North Dakota, USA 😁
Richa says
Thanks! So glad you liked it!
Maggie says
I tried this tonight and it was delicious! Super quick cooking time. Didn’t include the red pepper flakes and added a splash of white wine at the end of cooking the mushrooms. Will definitely make it again.
Richa says
Thanks! So glad you liked it!