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Creamy Mushroom and Sausage Pasta

Creamy Mushroom Sausage Pasta is an easy weeknight dinner, but it tastes like you slaved over the recipe. It’s creamy, rich, and pure comfort food.

I love anything and everything about mushrooms and love them anyway I can get them. Mushroom pilaf, Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions, stuffed portobello mushrooms. The list is long and lovely, just bring on the mushrooms, please.

You must make this mushroom and sausage pasta dinner. Like today. Maybe you could wait until tomorrow, but definitely do not wait much longer than that. I’m tellin’ you, it is comfort in a bowl. How could it not be with Italian sausage, loads of Crimini mushrooms, half and half, sour cream and cream cheese?! Hey I said it was comfort in a bowl, not a diet in a bowl.

And it is so so easy to make! It comes together so quickly so it is great for weeknight dinners. Let’s talk a little bit about what you’re going to need to make it.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Overhead photo of creamy mushroom pasta ingredients.

CRIMINI MUSHROOMS: They are are my favorite because they can be used in many different things. They’re like white button mushrooms, but they have an earthier flavor. For this reason, I chose to use them in the mushroom and sausage pasta.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE: I was serving this to my kiddos so I used mild Italian sausage links. If you want to add a bit of heat use hot Italian Sausage instead.

SHALLOTS: These are a bit more mild than red onions so they add a nice subtle onion flavor to the sauce.

GARLIC

WHITE WINE: Use a dry white wine like chardonnay. And as with any time you’re cooking with wine, make sure you use a wine that you would drink out of the bottle. The flavor will be concentrated during the cooking.

MUSHROOM BROTH: This can be kind of hard to find, I use this Mushroom base from Better Than Bouillon. If you can’t find it, you can use beef or chicken broth.

HALF AND HALF: This is going to add a touch of creaminess to the sauce. If you want it even creamier, you can use heavy cream instead.

SOUR CREAM: I prefer to use full fat in this sauce. If you use a reduced fat sour cream, it may separate a bit.

CREAM CHEESE: Adds even more richness to the sauce! Trust me!

PARSLEY: Optional but I love the pop of color that it adds.

SALT AND PEPPER

PASTA: You can use whatever short pasta that you like. I used rotini but you can use elbows, shells or penne too.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

STEP #1: Cook pasta according to package directions.

STEP #2: Meanwhile while pasta is cooking, brown Italian sausage in a pan over medium heat. Once browned transfer to a plate.

STEP #3: In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and brown.

STEP #4: Pour in wine and mushroom broth allow to cook for 5 minutes. Scrape any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return sausage to the pan.

STEP #5: Stir one tablespoon of the hot broth into the half and half to temper it.Stir tempered half and half, sour cream and cream cheese into broth. Continue cooking until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly, 5 -7 minutes.

STEP #6:Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir to coat. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir once more and add chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Storing Leftovers/Reheating

Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Will last for a few days in the refrigerator. It reheats well in the microwave.

My family loved this Creamy Mushroom Sausage Pasta! I served it with a salad and some of my easy Garlic Bread. My picky kiddos even asked for seconds.

If you love mushrooms as much as me, you have to check out these other mushroom recipes:

Quinoa with Caramelized Crimini Mushrooms from Cookin’ Canuck

Stuffed Mushrooms were always one of my favorite appetizers to get at restaurants and they are super easy to make at home!

Another quick dinner idea is this Baked Chicken with Mushrooms!

Got an Air Fryer? You have GOT to try these Air Fryer Mushrooms.

Note: This recipe was originally written and posted in 2010. It was updated with new photos, step by step instructions, nutrition information and a modified recipe in 2022.

Creamy Mushroom Sausage Pasta

This mushroom and sausage pasta recipe is an easy weeknight dinner, but it tastes like you slaved over the recipe. It's creamy, rich, and pure comfort food.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 741 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces dried pasta
  • 13 ounces ground mild Italian sausage about 4 links removed from casings
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup diced shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup mushroom broth
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup light sour cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile while pasta is cooking, brown Italian sausage in a pan over medium heat. Once browned transfer to a plate.
  • In the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and brown.
  • Pour in wine and mushroom broth allow to cook for 5 minutes. Scrape any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return sausage to the pan.
  • Stir one tablespoon of the hot broth into the half and half to temper it.
  • Stir tempered half and half, sour cream and cream cheese into broth. Continue cooking until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly, 5 -7 minutes.
  • Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Stir to coat. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir once more and add chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Notes

Tempering the half and half will help prevent it from curdling when you add it to the hot broth. 
If you don't have rotini, you can use any short pasta. Elbow macaroni, penne or ziti would work well. 
Nutrition information for estimation purposes only. 

Nutrition

Calories: 741kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 25gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 995mgPotassium: 777mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 786IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @lifesambrosia or tag #lifesambrosia!
Keywords: comfort food, crimini mushrooms, Food, italian, italian sausage, pasta, Recipe

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Ruth
    January 29, 2024 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    Can I give this like 20 stars please??? Thank you for saving dinner…. I went to make my normal sausage and red sauce with spaghetti meal… and horror was totally out of red sauce. However I had pasta and sausage and mushrooms to use up so I types sausage and mushroom recipes into google. And wow. I got this… as written it is amazing!!! But then I had inspiration because I was also out of lettuce… so I started digging in the freezer for a vegetable to serve on the side and came up with green peas… well… mommy’s gotta momma here. So once everything was done and off the heat I stirred in a cup of thawed and heated peas. Omg… a few twists of cracked black pepper, and some fresh grated parm… and my 14 year old inhaled a plate and half!! Yeah I’m going to print and save this one!!!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      January 29, 2024 at 4:39 pm

      Ruth, that is so fantastic to hear!! And I am LOVING the idea of adding some peas to this. I am totally going to try that next time. Glad I could help you get dinner on the table!! :)

  • Reply
    bella
    December 1, 2022 at 1:14 pm

    5 stars
    I was reluctant to try this recipe because i used spicy sausage and that the half and half and cheese would make a unusual mix. I was so happily surprised ! It was delicious!

  • Reply
    toplistingsite.xyz
    May 20, 2022 at 8:28 am

    Thanks for the creamy mushroom and sausage pasta recipe.

  • Reply
    Chris David
    May 9, 2022 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe so much . It’s really awesome

    • Reply
      Deseree
      May 12, 2022 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you, Chris! So happy to hear that!

  • Reply
    Deseree
    August 14, 2013 at 4:06 pm

    Shelley- It’s one of my favorites! I think it would be good with either, white would be good because you use white in the sauce and it’s creamy. Rea would be good because of the sausage and because it’s a heavy, comfort food type meal. I would personally choose red just because I think of white wine for light summer meals but that is just me :)

  • Reply
    Shelley
    August 14, 2013 at 11:41 am

    This sounds amazing!! Do you thinkg a red wine or a white wine would be better to drink with this meal? I assumed white with the creamy sauce and the fact that it calls for white wine, but with the sausage in it I wasn’t sure.

  • Reply
    Lillian
    May 8, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    @ Philip….a friend of mine in the Netherlands enjoys the American recipes she finds on FB by using American measuring utensils, so she makes sure she prepares the recipes according to the American recipe. An easy way to solve your problem. I do not use metric and neither does anyone I know. But, if I see recipes from somewhere else other than here in America, I assume they will be using metric measurements in their country, the same as American recipes would be using the American way of measuring. If I see a recipe using metric and really want to make it, I look up on the internet the American conversions of metric.

  • Reply
    Maureen Reid
    October 9, 2012 at 8:36 am

    Just came to your blog and fell in love

    Thanks for a wonderful blog

  • Reply
    G
    December 4, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    I used chicken broth instead of both the wine and the mushroom broth, and it was still amazing. I can’t wait to make it again!

  • Reply
    Bastian
    March 21, 2011 at 3:35 pm

    Made this tonight. Oh man, delicious.

    And Philip, it takes like 2 seconds to go to Google and do the conversions. Seriously. Type in “.5 pound in grams” in Google, and it gives you the conversion *instantly*. You don’t even have to do any math.

  • Reply
    Philip Davies
    November 18, 2010 at 11:08 am

    The recipe looks very good, but why on earth are you putting the measurement ONLY in American.

    96% of the population of the planet uses metric measurements, and 4% use American.

    If you are putting things on the world wibe web, please think of the people who are using it.

  • Reply
    Julia
    October 21, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Thanks, Des!! I will look for that at the store!

  • Reply
    Julia
    October 19, 2010 at 6:07 am

    This sounds WONDERFUL!! What exactly is mushroom broth, though? I actually have everything in my kitchen to make this tonight, but could I use vegetable or beef broth instead?

    • Reply
      Deseree
      October 19, 2010 at 4:10 pm

      Hey Julia- I used better than buillon mushroom broth. I’ve also seen it in boxes but beef or vegetable broth would work just as well. Hope you enjoy it!

  • Reply
    Jenn's Food Journey
    October 18, 2010 at 7:43 pm

    Oh this does look good…wait, I mean DELICIOUS!!! I wonder if I could pass this by my mushroom hating boyfriend??? :) Well, it will at least be one I try when he’s not around!

  • Reply
    StephenC
    October 18, 2010 at 11:15 am

    Yes, I would make this today, except we’re in leftovers mode, cleaning up stuff that’s in the fridge. I’ve become fond of using dried shiitake mushrooms which I can get really cheap at an Asian supermarket I frequent.

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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