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Garlic Mushroom Pasta is for all the real garlic lovers out there! This pasta dinner is delightfully simple and made with just six ingredients. Every bite of tender mushrooms with al dente spaghetti tossed in an extra garlicky pasta sauce is better than the last!

fresh basil is placed next to and on top of a serving of pasta
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Why You’ll Love This

  • So. Much. Garlic. Can you have too much garlic? I’m sure the answer is technically yes, which is why I like to keep this recipe tamed down to a sensible 9 cloves. However, as previously mentioned, you can always toss some more into the olive oil if you’d like.
  • Meatless. If you’re interested in cutting back on your meat intake (or just looking for a meatless Monday option), this is a great recipe for you! The mushrooms really help to bulk up the pasta even more. Plus, you can always use a protein pasta if you’re nervous about not getting enough of that.
  • Simple as can be. With just 6 ingredients needed, this recipe is oh so simple! Plus, all of the ingredients listed are budget-friendly and easy to grab from your local grocery store. Nothing about this recipe is a hassle.
the ingredients for garlic mushroom pasta are placed on a countertop

Garlic Mushroom Pasta Ingredients

  • Garlic – you’re going to want to use fresh cloves. Frozen and the pre-minced kind won’t work here. You want that real garlic flavor from fresh cloves.
  • Olive oil – a high quality one will yield the best flavor.
  • Pasta – spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, or angel hair works best.
  • Butter – use unsalted and I personally love using Kerrygold. It has such great flavor in a simple dish like this.
  • Pasta sauce – my favorite is Rao’s marinara and Trader Joe’s organic tomato basil.
  • Portobello mushrooms – meaty and tasty!
a fork is twirling some spaghetti

Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations

  • Use fresh garlic. Pre-minced and frozen garlic simply won’t cut it here. For the best flavor and aroma, be sure to only use fresh finely minced garlic for this pasta recipe. And again, you can measure with your heart!
  • You can use homemade or store-bought sauce. It’s all about ease here. If you have some homemade pasta sauce you love, use it! If you want to keep things nice and easy, grab a jar of your favorite store-bought sauce. It’s getting dressed up with butter and garlic olive oil, so it really won’t taste store-bought at all.
  • Change up the mushrooms. You can really use any type of mushrooms that you like best. Might I suggest giving Lion’s Mane Mushrooms or Shiitake Mushrooms a try? Just make sure that no matter what kind of mushroom you use, they’re all cut to the same bite-sized pieces.
  • Pasta type and size. This is definitely a recipe that works best with long strands of pasta like spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, and bucatini. However, if you only have short cut pasta on hand like rigatoni or penne, they work too. Make sure you adjust cooking time for all your pasta according to the box!
  • Add a protein. If you would like to bulk up this garlic mushroom pasta, adding in shrimp or chicken would be delicious! In addition, I bet some beef meatballs would be so good as well.
a large spoon is placed in a serving of pasta

Storage and Reheating

Once cooled to room temperature, you can store your leftover garlic mushroom pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be reheated in the microwave – just zap it for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time it stops, until warmed through.

To freeze, freeze the sauce separately. If you know you’re going to want to freeze this recipe, separate the sauce and the pasta before tossing together what you’re eating in that moment. The sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months and I highly recommend using Souper Cubes for them! To reheat, pop out a block or two and reheat on the stovetop. Add a little bit of liquid to the bottom of the pan to prevent burning.

a large serving of pasta is garnished with fresh basil

What to Serve with Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Round out your plate with some of the best easy side dish recipes! Double down on the garlic flavor with some Easy Garlic Knots or Extra Garlicky and Cheesy Bread. Stay on the lighter side with Roasted Parmesan Broccoli or Roasted Parmesan Carrots.

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4.67 from 3 votes

Garlic Mushroom Pasta

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this pasta. It’s SO good and if you love garlic, you will adore this pasta dish!
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 9 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ cup (59 ml) olive oil
  • 1 pound (454 g) dried spaghetti pasta
  • 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter
  • 15 ounce (425 g) jar of homemade pasta sauce or store-bought
  • 8 ounce (227 g) baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

Instructions 

  • In a medium pot, bring the olive oil and garlic to a boil then turn the heat down to low and let garlic and olive oil cook for 30 minutes.
    garlic is cooking in olive oil in a large pot
  • In the meantime, cook your pasta according to the directions on the box.
  • At the same time, in a very large skillet, cook your mushrooms in a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
    mushrooms are being cooked in a skillet
  • When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the mushrooms.
  • In the pot where the garlic oil is, add the 6 tbsp. of butter and let it melt completely. Once butter has melted, add the jar of pasta sauce and stir to mix well.
    a wooden spoon is lifting some marinara from a pot
  • Remove the garlic sauce from heat and pour all over the pasta in the skillet. Toss well to coat every strand.
    pasta is presented in a large pot
  • Serve with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 882kcal, Carbohydrates: 99g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 48g, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 11g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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Photographs by Eat Love Eat

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42 Comments

  1. I will definitely give this recipe a try. I wish I could leave comments on your recipe for Great Grandma’s spaghetti sauce as it is a family favourite. You are right, cooking it long and slow makes all the difference. Just know that over in Australia there is a family who has googled this recipe so many times we now have it memorised. We LOVE it! Thanks for sharing and thank your friend :)

    1. I turned off comments on that again, sorry about that! Thank you for writing though and letting me know how much you all love it! :)

  2. Thank you, Julie for this receipe. I’m a huge garlic fan, so when I saw the name of this dish I knew I would love it. And I did!

  3. i just noticed that this recipe was posted quite a while ago, but I just found it this week featured on Best Friends For Frosting. It was exactly what I needed last night! I was making meatballs, but I had no ingredients for a homemade sauce. All I had was the saddest jar of store bought sauce. Normally, if I *had to* use store bought sauce, I’d dump it into a sauce pan and add a few of my own seasonings and just hope for the best. I never like it as good as homemade, but it’s fine. Your method of making a garlic oil and then adding the sauce is SO MUCH BETTER. I actually didn’t even have butter, but I let the sauce simmer together with the garlic oil for a few hours and in the end my husband loved it so much that he hasn’t stopped talking about it. He doesn’t even usually like tomato-based sauces. Thanks for the idea!

  4. Julie – I think you should rename this dish – Holy Yum Pasta!!! It was incredible! So easy to make! I can’t wait to have the leftovers this week! My husband loved it!!

  5. I made this for my husband and I and it was AMAZING!!!!! Something that will be made again and again!