Creamy Mushroom and Black Garlic Pasta
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 8 Oz. Pasta Fettucine, Linguine, Tagliatelle, Pappardelle or even Farfalle
- 8-10 Oz. Mushrooms, Sliced Cremini or White Button
- 5-6 Cloves Black Garlic, Peeled See notes if you can't get black garlic.
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3/4 C Heavy Cream
- 1/2 C Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese Plus More for Garnish
- 1 Tbsp Dry White Wine for Deglazing (Optional)
- Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once boiling, salt the water, add the pasta, and boil to just before al dente. Reserve 1 C of the pasta water.8 Oz. Pasta
- Get the sauce started while you boil the pasta. It takes 12-13 minutes to cook before you need the reserved pasta water.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat.2 Tbsp Butter, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Arrange them in a single layer in the pan and let them cook for 2-3 minutes to start browning.8-10 Oz. Mushrooms, Sliced
- After the initial browning, stir every minute or two, continuing to cook the mushrooms until they are deeply golden and their moisture has cooked off. Lightly salt them once golden.Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to Taste
- Cut the heat to medium. Mash the black garlic into a paste and add 2/3 of it to the mushrooms (save the last third for the end). Cook the garlic in the mushrooms for 30 seconds to warm it up. Be sure not to cook it too long or it will change the flavor.5-6 Cloves Black Garlic, Peeled
- (Optional): add the white wine and stir 30 more seconds to help deglaze the pan.1 Tbsp Dry White Wine for Deglazing
- Add the cream and 1/4 C of the reserved pasta water. Bring it to a simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken slightly.3/4 C Heavy Cream
- Cut the heat to low and add the pasta. Toss the pasta with the sauce to finish cooking. Add more reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy and loose.
- Turn the heat off and mix in the Parmesan cheese. Mix until fully emulsified, adding pasta water as needed.1/2 C Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Stir in the remaining black garlic and season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve right away topped with more fresh cracked black pepper and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Why Black Garlic Works So Well Here
This creamy mushroom and black garlic pasta is all about depth, not volume. Black garlic isn’t an ingredient that jumps out and grabs you. It works quietly, supporting everything else in the dish.
Black garlic starts as regular garlic. Producers age whole heads at low heat and high humidity for several weeks. During that time, the cloves turn black, soft, and jammy. The harsh bite of raw garlic disappears. What’s left tastes sweet, savory, and deeply umami, with notes that remind people of balsamic vinegar or soy sauce.
In this pasta, black garlic plays a supporting role, not the lead. I like to think of it the same way I think about brown butter in chocolate chip cookies. Brown butter doesn’t turn a cookie into a different dessert. It adds a nutty layer that deepens the flavor. You may not even notice it unless you compare it to a cookie made with regular butter. Black garlic works the same way here. It amplifies the umami already present from mushrooms, cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.
That subtle effect is exactly why it belongs in this sauce.
Why Mushrooms Matter in This Dish
Mushrooms do a lot of heavy lifting in this recipe. They bring earthiness, savoriness, and texture that balance the cream and butter. For this pasta, cremini mushrooms work especially well.
While white button mushrooms work great in this dish, Cremini mushrooms, also called Baby Bella mushrooms, really shine. They offer more flavor than white button mushrooms without overpowering the dish. They brown beautifully and hold their texture in a creamy sauce. That makes them a perfect partner for black garlic.
Here’s a fun fact I learned while making this dish: white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and portabella mushrooms are all the same mushroom. They’re just harvested at different stages of growth. White button mushrooms are the youngest. Cremini mushrooms are a bit more mature. Portabellas are fully grown. Knowing that makes substitutions easier. White button mushrooms work just fine if that’s what you have. Portabellas work too, though they bring a stronger, meatier flavor.
For this pasta, cremini mushrooms hit the sweet spot.
A Creamy Pasta Built on Umami
This black garlic pasta leans into ingredients that naturally taste good together. Butter adds richness. Cream creates a silky sauce. Parmesan cheese adds salt and sharpness. Black pepper cuts through the fat. Black garlic ties everything together.
You’ll often see black garlic used in sauces, compound butters, soups, and marinades. It pairs well with beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables. Chefs love it because it adds complexity without overwhelming a dish.
This creamy mushroom and black garlic pasta works well as a main course. It also pairs nicely with a simple brined chicken breast if you want extra protein. Long noodles like spaghetti or fettuccine hold onto the sauce best (though I also enjoy farfalle in this dish).
If you like pasta packed with garlicky umami, you should also check out my garlic soy buttered noodles. It’s a different flavor profile, but it scratches the same craving.
This dish doesn’t need to shout. It proves that quiet ingredients can make the biggest difference.
I wrote and edited this post with help from ChatGPT, based on my own tested recipe and original photography.