Fast Food: Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
October 18th, 2008 by katie
I love this recipe. It is so fast and easy yet so filling and rich. It is a company worthy dish on a weeknight time budget.
Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
serves 4, prep 5 min, cook time 30 min
- 4-8 oz fettuccine or linguine
- 10 tbsp butter, divided (I know, but I’ve tried it with less and it’s just not the same)
- 8 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped (you can use dried herbs if that’s all you have)
- 2/3 cup boiling water (from your noodle pot)
- 1 lb cooked shrimp (feel free to buy frozen-gasp!)
- Boil and salt a large pot of water and cook your pasta. I usually only use about half of an 8 oz box, preferring fewer noodles.
- While your pasta is cooking, cook your shrimp if necessary and reserve. If your shrimp are pre-cooked and frozen, quickly thaw them under running water.
- In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reserve cooked mushrooms and melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add minced garlic, cream cheese, and herbs. At this point, I generally feel like something has gone terribly wrong. The cream cheese doesn’t really melt and starts to look almost curdled, don’t worry about it! It will all smooth out and be wonderful when we add the water. I promise.
- Simmer cream cheese mixture until well blended. Get a scoop of boiling pasta water from your noodle pot and mix it in, stirring quickly to smooth out the sauce.
- Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms, mix well and simmer (stirring often) until everything is hot and thickened, about 10 minutes-you wont ruin this sauce by accidentally boiling it so don’t worry.
- Toss sauce with cooked noodles and serve.
Serve this with a good crusty loaf of garlic bread and a salad.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Oh this looks like creamy goodness in a bowl. Thanks for sharing this. I happen to have some extra shrimp in the fridge.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I LOVE this. It was one of those moments where I opened the page, took one look at the photo and tried to jab a fork through the screen for a bite.
Sadly Steve does not feel the same about many creamy sauces. !)@(#*$&%^!!!
I do often make stuff on Sunday just for myself for lunches though. I’ll put this one on THAT list. Thanks Katie.
October 19th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Oh yes, I’ll take seconds please. Unfortunately, Thor announced that he’s gained 5 pounds since not riding regularly…
October 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
You made my mouth water with this one and I just finished breakfast an hour or so a go! What a yummy picture to so off all the creamy goodness!
October 20th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I love a big heaping bowl of pasta. That picture makes me want to dig right in. The combination of mushrooms, shrimp and a creamy sauce is one of my favorites.
October 21st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Awesome picture, makes me want to jump right in with a fork!
October 25th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Shrimp and mushrooms are two of my favorite foods and this pasta with both of them looks great!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 am
made this recipe tonight althought i also added lobster. Absolutely stunning, a new family favorite.
January 30th, 2009 at 2:39 am
This looks like a dish I’d order at a restaurant! I’d love to try this.
May 10th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
What if I hate mushrooms? What would you suggest substituting? The dish does look wonderful though, I can’t wait to try it.
I like broccoli or asparagus spears as substitutes. -Katie
June 14th, 2009 at 5:43 am
That looks good! The cream looks so yummy!
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Perfect weekday meal! Looks amazingly creamy and tasty!
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:27 pm
This looks awesome! I really want to make this dish, but I have frozen uncooked shrimp. What’s the best way to cook them for this dish?
I always use frozen, uncooked shrimp. I thaw them quickly under running water and then saute them in the same pan you will cook your mushrooms, etc.. They should cook in a few minutes, then proceed with the rest of the recipe!
-Katie
September 16th, 2009 at 3:05 am
Hi! will this be too creamy for someone with a low tolerance in the diary department?
It is a cream cheese and butter sauce, so you would have to judge that for yourself. If you don’t like creamy dishes then you could just adjust the amount of water you add to make the sauce thinner. On the other hand, if you are dairy intolerant then it would depend on whether or not you normally eat, or want to eat, cream cheese. -Katie
October 15th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I just made this and it is delicious, but I couldn’t get my sauce to thicken up and get creamy like yours looks in the picture, it’s thinner than I’d like. I made no changes to the recipe. Can you give me any hints?
Hi Anna! I made this the other day too and I was surprised that the sauce seemed a little thin also. I used 8 oz of noodles whereas I think I normally (and probably in this photo) only use 4 oz. I adjusted the recipe to reflect a few things I did differently. -Katie
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Hi again! The sauce appears to thicken quite nicely upon microwave reheating. The shrimp, however, just get tough. Oh well, still a delicious recipe!
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Made it! Loved it! Really quick and easy. Kinda fattening, but delicious!
December 13th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
This is the best recipe to ever happen to me.
January 14th, 2010 at 6:01 am
hi! just wana say, ur receipe is GREAT! its easy to make yet super delicious.. i just finished cookin it n i couldn’t believe i had made this from scratch, all by myself! however the serving for the sauce seems to be too lil. i planned to serve 4 but the sauce only allowed me for slightly more than 2.
anyway, thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
January 14th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Hi! I loved this recipe with shrimp. Matter of fact, I liked it so much, I adapted it for a dinner party with a friend who is allergic to shrimp, and used chicken instead, and it was still wonderful! Yummy both ways!
January 17th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Oh my goodness!! I’m bookmarking this! It looks amazing.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:38 am
YO MAN! Thanks for the recipe, I used this recipe for a date and everyone loved it! and it’s so easy to make! and especially REALISTIC. Try some old bay with the shrimp too. Good find my friend and thanks again.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:39 am
That looks nice…thanks for the recipe!
December 20th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Thanks for posting – This is SO good! I made it last night and my boyfriend can not wait to dig into the leftovers. I swapped fettuccine for a “healthy” penne. Thank you for your fun-to-follow directions too!
December 24th, 2010 at 2:51 am
I made this a while back, and it was delicious! My family enjoyed it very much. I see a lot of people having problems with the sauce thickening. In my experience, just let it shimmer longer, and you will get the thickness you are looking for!
February 13th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Made this the other night. Used 12 oz. of pasta and the same amount of everything else. Could have slightly increased the shrimp and mushrooms but wasn’t even really necessary! Great recipe, thanks!
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:34 pm
I made this the other night. I added an extra ounce of cream cheese and it came out perfect for a whole box of pasta. The only thing I have to note is be careful if you’re using froze shrimp. When I added them to the sauce, they released a lot of water into it. I fixed this by removing the shrimp and reducing the mix for another ten minutes. Just a note for anyone who uses the same kind of shrimp.
February 24th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
this truly is delicious! i substituted some chardonnay for the 2/3 cup boiling water for a little extra flavor. i also used garlic and herb cream cheese. yummy! so easy and so worth it.
June 6th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
so happy i discovered your blog! looks amazing and i cant wait to try your recipes!
August 9th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I bookmarked this last week and made it tonight. It was so quick, and so easy! I too was worried when I added the cream cheese/butter, but it all creamed together in the end. My husband was quite impressed and said he’d pay top dollar at a restaurant for it! Guess that means I’m adding this to the regular rotation! I used about 8 oz of whole wheat fettuccine. Yum!!! My toddler even liked it! Double yay~
August 19th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
This look so delicious, I think I will make this tomorrow. Need to pick up some shrimp.
September 7th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
This recipe i’s wonderful! I made this tonite for my family and it is delicious. I too prefer my sauce to be a little thicker so I just added a can of cream of chicken soup and that made the perfect consistency. I also added chicken to go with the shrimp!!! YUMMY!! thank you for sharing this =)
September 16th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
I’m trying this tonight! Yum!!
September 30th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Loos like a real WINNER.
Will try w/ a hand-full of good grated Parmesan. Yum!
October 3rd, 2011 at 6:40 pm
I tried this tonight, and it was scrumptious! FWIW, I made a substitution — I found myself with no mushrooms, so I grated up a zucchini (because this time of year, who doesn’t have those). It was light and delicious. And enough left to snarf for lunch tomorrow! Nom!
October 11th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
I added a small package of frozen peas. Yum!!
October 12th, 2011 at 9:09 am
This recipe is fantastic!!! I cooked the thawed shrimp in a little butter and added about a tsp. of Seafood Magic Seasoning Blend (Chef Paul Prudhomme’s). Then I added about another tsp. of the seasoning blend to the sauce while it was cooking (in place of the basil). I also used 3 large cloves of garlic & angel hair pasta. It was a HUGE hit!
Thank you!
November 13th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Made this yesterday, what a yummie dish. Thanks for sharing
November 30th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Just made this and boy was it yummy! &hubby agreed
December 15th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
If the recipe is half as good as it appears…it has to be delicious!
December 15th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
I am making this tonight and thought about using Old Bay instead of basil or maybe even Tony Chach’s to make it a little spicy? So, if i want more sauce, I should add more cream cheese?
December 19th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
I pinned this to Pinterest and 21 people repinned it! Hubby stopping for mushrooms and cream cheese and this is dinner tonight. Thanks!
December 31st, 2011 at 5:49 pm
made this, added broccolli. was very yummy, Angela I used 4 oz of cheese, you don’t need more then that
December 31st, 2011 at 5:51 pm
also wanted to note: I sauted the shrimp with salt pepper sprinkled and tossed with 4 tbls of flour in butter/olive oil. wanted the shrimp to be a bit crispy and it worked.
January 6th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Made this tonight, exactly as written. OMG. Hubs is already asking when I’m going to make it again. Reminded him of Olive Garden. Yumm-o.
January 9th, 2012 at 10:24 pm
I have made this twice, first time followed to a “T”. The second time, I didn’t have cream cheese (ack!) so I used mascarpone cheese, which, interestingly enough melted easily and smoothly! May not have been as creamy as cream cheese though, but it turned out ok! And I tried cutting the butter by using some olive oil (subbed 2 Tbsp w 2 Tbsp), worked out fine. Just thought I’d share that. I cooked the shrimp with butter and threw in some garlic as well. I think it’s hard to mess up this recipe, as far as flavor-wise. Thanks for sharing! Am going to make it for company soon!
January 17th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
This was incredible! I cut the butter to 5 tbsp, added 2 tbsp of olive oil and used 1/3 fat cream cheese. I also used gluten free penne noodles and had steamed broccoli as a side. Turned out fabulous and even my 13 year commented that it was one of the best things I’ve ever made
January 25th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Dont know where i went wrong, followed everything exactly. Mine turned out to be soo bland.
January 30th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was love at first bite! Restaurant quality/flavor. Just what I was hoping for when I went looking for a buttery shrimp pasta dinner. I will make this one again. Thank you for sharing!
January 31st, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I made this today. Only used half of the butter, and added a little splash of half and half at the end . Delicious!!!
February 1st, 2012 at 10:35 am
Oh my goodness – this looks divine!
February 2nd, 2012 at 3:46 pm
I just made the pasta and it is delish! I will say the sauce to noodle ration was a little off. I think next time I’ll adjust the cream cheese to 4-5 oz. so I have a little more to smother my noodles in
but nonetheless, an excellent recipe with great, easy-to-follow instructions!