Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake

Creamy and oh-so-cheesy, this mushroom Alfredo pasta bake is the stuff vegetarian dreams are made of. A meatless Alfredo that the entire family can enjoy, this mushroom pasta bake can be on the table in less than an hour.

It's not easy to find a healthy pasta bake that doesn't have meat in it but also tastes just like a loaded Alfredo recipe.

This mushroom Alfredo is a vegetarian version of the beloved Alfredo sauce and is so cheesy and tasty that you're not even going to notice it has no meat in it.

I first made this mushroom Alfredo pasta recipe back when I was eating much more meat than these days, and I always enjoyed it tremendously.

It's a comfort type of baked pasta with mushrooms, and what I really like about it is the fact that you can pretty much have a super comforting dinner on the table in about an hour.

And not any dinner.

This stuff is good!

Let's dive right into it.

What do you need to make this vegetarian Alfredo pasta?

To make this vegetarian Alfredo, you need the following:

• Porcini mushrooms — the secret to make this veg Alfredo pasta recipe taste like a slice of heaven is porcini mushrooms. Their flavour enhances this pasta to the point where you'll wonder why haven't you used porcini in all your pasta bakes. Joking aside, you'll need 30 g of dried porcini mushrooms that you rehydrate in a small bowl of freshly boiled water.
• Chestnut / Forestiere / Portobello mushrooms — you can use any of these mushroom types for this recipe. The porcini can't do it all by themselves, as you need some texture for this mushroom Alfredo pasta bake, so pick your favourite and use that. You can also use shiitake mushrooms, which also work great with porcini. I use them in my favourite tagliatelle ai funghi recipe.
• Some form of short pasta — I used penne, but fusilli also work great.
• Dry white wine — you can omit this, but I do really suggest you use it as it enhances the flavour of the mushrooms tremendously.
• Cheese — this is important, because you want your pasta bake to be heart, and nothing spells hearty like melting cheese on top. I used a mix of mature cheddar, grated mozzarella and parmesan.
• Double (heavy) cream — nobody said this was going to be something to eat while on a diet (it's still a great choice if you're a one-meal-a-day type of person, though). The cream makes everything better, and if you want to cut down on calories, you can use single cream (light cream, around 20% fat), but expect the sauce to be thinner.

How do you make this pasta bake?

To make this vegetarian pasta bake, preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water, two minutes less than recommended on the pack. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in large pan on medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it softens.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Next, add the porcini mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of the water they rehydrated in. Allow to bubble and add the other mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and tender.

Turn up a heat, add the white wine, and allow it to bubble for 2 minutes, then turn the heat back to medium.

Add the stock, cream, and half of the parmesan to the pan. Stir well until everything's combined.

Transfer the drained pasta to the pan and stir together until covered in the creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, use some of the reserved pasta water.

Transfer everything to a baking dish, sprinkle the remaining parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese melts and becomes golden.

Sprinkle with parsley (optional) and serve immediately.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, this is a dish that is great for freezing. Allow it too cool completely and place it in the freezer. When ready to eat, defrost it in the fridge over night and reheat it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. If it looks too dry, you can add a couple of tablespoons of hot water when reheating.

If you liked this mushroom Alfredo pasta bake, check out some my other pasta dishes:

Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushrooms)

Vegan Tagliatelle Bolognese with Mushrooms

Easy Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle

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