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 just a handful of ingredients.
This mushroom spaghetti aglio olio is my favorite lazy day dinner. It's ideal for the evenings when I don't want to do do too much chopping or cooking. We always have spaghetti in the kitchen cupboard, apart from which you need just a few other ingredients like mushrooms, good quality extra virgin olive oil, some parsley (dried or fresh), chilli flakes - and 15 minutes to make a delicious meal.
Quick Walk Through: Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio
Ingredients for Mushroom Pasta
- 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: This is the most important ingredient in this recipe as it has no sauce. I would recommend using really good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and texture.
- 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
- Parmesan: Only the best kind you can find
- Salt: Salt for cooking the pasta and a little for the sauce
- Parsley: For freshness and flavour right at the end
Top Tips To Make The Best Mushroom Aglio Olio
- When you first add garlic to the oil, be careful to not overcook it as it will make the whole dish acrid instead of beautifully fragrant like it should be.
- Do not skimp on the amount of olive you use as that is what will help emulsify the pasta with water and create that perfect slippery pasta texture of aglio olio.
- Make sure to add a generous amount of salt when cooking the pasta. According to experts, pasta water should taste like sea water.
Once you realise just how simple yet delicious and filling it is to make this pasta, it will surely make a regular appearance on your dinner menu. We usually just eat this with a slice of toasted bread for a quick and simple meal.
Watch How to Make Mushroom Spaghetti Aglio Olio Video
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)
Nutrition
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
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!