Easy Creamy Pioppini Mushroom Pasta (Pasta con Funghi e Panna)

This is the best light and creamy mushroom pasta recipe! Creamy garlic mushroom sauce gets its delicious forest flavor and perfectly "meaty" texture from one of our favorite stars of the fungi family -- Italian Velvet Pioppini mushrooms.

And this easy pasta is ready in less than 30 minutes. Earthy, nutty, sweet, sautéed pioppini mushrooms are perfectly mild (and look like something out of a fairytale) making them a natural fit for this creamy, garlicky, spicy mushroom and wine sauce.

4 Reasons This Creamy Wild Mushroom Pasta Recipe Works

Italian pioppini mushrooms (pronounced: pee-oh-peeny) also known as velvet pioppini, poplar mushrooms, or black poplar mushrooms, hold up extremely really well to sautéeing, frying, grilling, and roasting.

They have a robust forest flavor from growing in clusters at the base of (and inside holes of) trees like chestnut, elm, poplar, etc. but are delightfully mild which is why they're so widely used here in Italy to make Pasta con Funghi, creamy mushroom risotto, and polenta dishes.

Pioppini's flavor and firm texture make them a natural fit for making all kinds of pasta or paired with red meat, wild game, fish, or even sliced raw in mushroom salads. These mushrooms are delicious! If you haven't had a chance to cook with them, do it as soon as you can -- you won't regret it.

Chewy artisanal bronze-drawn egg fettuccine adds flavor and texture that's a perfect complement to this light mushroom wine sauce.

Substitute just about any egg pasta like tagliatelle, pappardelle, orecchiette, or even garganelli for this mushroom pasta. Artisanal egg pasta better absorbs and holds onto sauces (especially a lightly creamy sauce like this one).

The combination of extra virgin olive oil, a little butter, heavy cream, and grated Grana Padano is reminiscent of all the flavors we love about a delicious fettuccine Alfredo, but much lighter in this recipe. This way, the wild mushrooms remain the star of this pasta dish.

Adding a little starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce towards the end of cooking helps bring the sauce together. Starchy pasta water not only revitalizes the cream soaked up by the sautéed mushrooms, but it helps bind the grated cheese tossed in at the end and helps the sauce adhere to every inch of each noodle.

Why You'll Love This Creamy Pioppini Mushroom Pasta Recipe

• It's one of the easiest creamy pasta recipes we make
• It's ready in just about 25 minutes from start to finish
• It's a restaurant-quality pasta dish anyone can make with impressive results
• Artisanal bronze-drawn pasta adds delicious texture and taste
• Wine intensifies the flavor of the sauce and brings out the flavor of the mushrooms
• Perfect for anyone who loves Fettuccini Alfredo but wants a much lighter pasta
• Using just a little heavy cream adds a silky richness to the sauce without overwhelming the flavor of these mushrooms

How to Prepare Mushrooms for Pasta (Pioppini, Shitake, Champignon (Button), Cremini, or Even Fresh Porcini Mushrooms)

When preparing mushrooms for cooking pasta or any other recipe, it's important never to soak them or submerge them in water. Instead, either use a mushroom brush (or a dry towel) to remove any dirt, or run them very quickly under cold water and then dry them immediately. I opt to dust the mushrooms off without using water so they stay nice and dry.

Next, you'll want to snip off the end of the stems (especially if they have stubborn dirt that won't come off. And lastly, depending on the variety of mushrooms you're using, you'll need to remove any "woodsy" or fibrous parts of the stems.

But don't discard these pieces. Inedible mushroom stems make a great addition to homemade broth, like ramen, or even chicken noodle soup. Simply freeze them if you're not using them right away. For pioppini mushrooms, at least ¾ of the stems are typically very tender and usable.

How to Cook Mushrooms For Pasta

As you can see from the photos above, with just a little mushroom know-how, it's easy to cook mushrooms for pasta or to be eaten as a side dish. To cook the best mushrooms of your life, follow these simple techniques below:

4 Simple Techniques to Make Mushrooms Taste Great

Always make sure mushrooms are completely dry before cooking them. Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture, and that's not helpful for getting a good sear (which gives mushrooms excellent flavor). If you've washed mushrooms briefly under running water, pat them dry on all sides and then leave them to further dry out on a clean kitchen towel.

Make sure the skillet and oil are sizzling hot before adding mushrooms to cook. Preheat the skillet and oil to almost smoking before adding.

Do not add too many mushrooms to the skillet all at once. In order to get a good sear on mushrooms, they need to have room for released moisture to evaporate quickly. If you have too many mushrooms in the pan, they'll steam instead of getting a golden sear (which is also a delicious way to cook mushrooms for pasta, but not what we're going for in this particular mushroom pasta recipe).

Do not move the mushrooms around for at least 2 to 3 minutes after you've added them to the hot skillet. Mushrooms need direct contact with the hot skillet and oil to create a proper sear and this takes a few minutes to develop. It also allows some of the moisture to evaporate.

Italian Pioppini Creamy Mushroom Pasta Ingredients 

There are just a handful of ingredients in this creamy pasta dish and I will always recommend using the highest quality ingredients which will give you the best results. But this is also a creamy mushroom pasta that lends itself to substitutions and the addition of aromatics as mentioned above.

• fettuccini egg pasta (sub favorite egg pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle)
• Italian Pioppini mushrooms (sub button, cremini, or fresh porcini) 
• extra virgin olive oil
• garlic cloves
• dried red peppers (whole or crushed)
• Marsala wine (dry) (sub dry white wine or red wine)
• butter
• heavy cream
• scallions, green parts only (sub chives) 
• Grana Padano cheese (sub Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan)
• salt to taste
• freshly grated nutmeg (optional but highly recommended)

How to Make Creamy Mushroom Pasta (Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions & Photos)

This is a restaurant-quality creamy mushroom pasta that's ready in under 30 minutes. Just be sure to use all the mushroom cooking tips mentioned above to get a great sear on them which adds a ton of extra flavor and gives them a "meaty" toothsome texture. *Detailed recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card, but here's the gist of how to make this delicious pasta con funghi e panna. 

Step. 1 Sauté the mushrooms and aromatics.

Step 2. Deglaze the pan with wine.

Step 3. Add the butter and heavy cream.

Step 4. Cook the pasta.

Step 5. Finish the mushroom cream sauce.

Step 6. Strain the pasta and assemble the pasta. Add the strained pasta directly to the mushroom sauce and toss everything quickly to combine. Turn off the heat, add the grated cheese, and toss well. Serve immediately, and Enjoy!

Substitutions & Variations

This creamy mushroom fettuccine pasta recipe is delicious exactly as is, but don't be afraid to make substitutions using whatever you happen to have in your pantry and fridge. Here are a few easy substitutions you can make.

• Substitute dry white wine or red wine for the Marsala wine. This pasta will still be just as delicious.
• Substitute half and half for the heavy cream to lighten up this creamy mushroom sauce even more.
• Add a sprig of fresh thyme, chopped parsley to taste, or a couple of leaves of basil to add a different flavor to this mushroom pasta.
• If you're in the mood for Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo, double the amount of butter, heavy cream, and grated Grana Padano.
• Substitute Parmigiano-Reggiano, or American Parmesan for the Grana Padano cheese.
• Substitute Pioppini mushrooms with champignon, porcini, cremini, or any other variety you love.
• To make this a creamy vegan mushroom pasta, increase the EVOO by 2 tablespoons (30g), omit the butter and heavy cream, and add slightly more starchy pasta water towards the end of cooking, stirring constantly to create a silky, naturally creamy mushroom sauce.

More Creamy Pasta Recipes and Mushroom Recipes

If you love mushrooms as much as we do or the occasional creamy pasta recipe, here are a few of our favorites that we think your family will also love.