Mushroom Alfredo Wonderpot (Instant Pot and stovetop versions)
**Update: Now that I have an Instant Pot, this recipe is even easier to make. I love making entire pasta dishes in my IP--they all follow the wonderpot method described below. It takes only three minutes with no babysitting and no sticking! See below for my new IP version along with the original stovetop version.
I haven't been this excited about a recipe for a long time. It capitalizes on the pasta wonderpot trend, which involves making a pasta sauce, adding extra liquid to it, and cooking pasta directly in it. Obviously, this is NOT the traditional way to cook pasta, which involves cooking in copious amounts of boiling water, draining it, and adding it to a separately prepared sauce. Three benefits of the wonderpot method make it superior than the traditional method for this recipe. First, as the name indicates, it only uses one pot. Second, and more importantly, since you are not draining away the starchy cooking liquid from the pasta, the liquid reduces and thickens, enhancing creamy pasta dishes by making them extra creamy and eliminating the need to make a separate roux. Third, because the pasta cooks in the sauce, flavor is infused throughout the pasta, not just the sauce.
This seemed like the perfect technique to make an ultra-creamy mushroom alfredo sauce in which the mushroom flavor infuses through the entire dish. This recipe is incredibly simple, with just a few basic ingredients. It would be a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party: deceptively easy to make and hard to mess up, but sophisticated in flavor. It is easily customizable: add your protein of choice, or spinach, chard, or kale for extra veggies, and whatever herbs you have on hand.
Mushroom Alfredo Wonderpot (Instant Pot version)
1 T butter
1 lb mushrooms (white or cremini), thinly sliced
1 1/2 T minced garlic
1 1/2 t salt
black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
4 cups water
1 lb pasta of choice, broken in half (I like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
your choice of herbs (1 1/2 t dried Italian seasoning is a good bet. I had fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano from my garden, so I used those. Note that dried herbs are more concentrated, so I used about a tablespoon of each fresh herb)
12 oz evaporated milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice (optional)
Garnish with chopped parsley (optional)
Sauté mushrooms in butter on medium-high heat until golden brown. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and lemon juice, if using. If using fresh herbs, reserve to add at the end. Stir gently. The pasta may stick up and not be fully covered by the liquid. That's ok, it will steam and soften as it cooks. Place lid on Instant Pot, seal, and set to manual pressure for 4 minutes. Do a quick release when finished. Pasta should be saucy. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken. Stir in Parmesan, lemon juice, and fresh herbs, if using. Pasta should be fairly saucy at this point. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water or milk. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken.
Mushroom Alfredo Wonderpot (Stovetop version)
2 t butter
1 lb mushrooms (white or cremini), thinly sliced
1 1/2 T minced garlic
1 1/2 t salt
black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
5 cups total milk and water (I don't keep cow's milk on hand, so I use 12 oz canned evaporated 2% milk from my pantry plus 3.5 cups water. 3 cups 2% milk and 2 cups water would be equivalent.)
1 lb pasta of choice (I like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
your choice of herbs (1 1/2 t dried Italian seasoning is a good bet. I had fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano from my garden, so I used those. Note that dried herbs are more concentrated, so I used about a tablespoon of each fresh herb)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice (optional)
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute mushrooms in butter on medium-high heat until golden brown. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and lemon juice, if using. If using fresh herbs, reserve to add at the end. Bring to a low simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. The pasta has a tendency to stick to itself and the bottom of the pan, so stir frequently. When pasta is al dente, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, lemon juice, and fresh herbs, if using. Pasta should be fairly saucy at this point. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water or milk. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken.
Serves 5-6.
Reheats and even freezes well. Just add a little water or milk and reheat gently.
This seemed like the perfect technique to make an ultra-creamy mushroom alfredo sauce in which the mushroom flavor infuses through the entire dish. This recipe is incredibly simple, with just a few basic ingredients. It would be a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party: deceptively easy to make and hard to mess up, but sophisticated in flavor. It is easily customizable: add your protein of choice, or spinach, chard, or kale for extra veggies, and whatever herbs you have on hand.
Mushroom Alfredo Wonderpot (Instant Pot version)
1 T butter
1 lb mushrooms (white or cremini), thinly sliced
1 1/2 T minced garlic
1 1/2 t salt
black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
4 cups water
1 lb pasta of choice, broken in half (I like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
your choice of herbs (1 1/2 t dried Italian seasoning is a good bet. I had fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano from my garden, so I used those. Note that dried herbs are more concentrated, so I used about a tablespoon of each fresh herb)
12 oz evaporated milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice (optional)
Garnish with chopped parsley (optional)
Sauté mushrooms in butter on medium-high heat until golden brown. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and lemon juice, if using. If using fresh herbs, reserve to add at the end. Stir gently. The pasta may stick up and not be fully covered by the liquid. That's ok, it will steam and soften as it cooks. Place lid on Instant Pot, seal, and set to manual pressure for 4 minutes. Do a quick release when finished. Pasta should be saucy. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken. Stir in Parmesan, lemon juice, and fresh herbs, if using. Pasta should be fairly saucy at this point. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water or milk. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken.
Mushroom Alfredo Wonderpot (Stovetop version)
2 t butter
1 lb mushrooms (white or cremini), thinly sliced
1 1/2 T minced garlic
1 1/2 t salt
black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
5 cups total milk and water (I don't keep cow's milk on hand, so I use 12 oz canned evaporated 2% milk from my pantry plus 3.5 cups water. 3 cups 2% milk and 2 cups water would be equivalent.)
1 lb pasta of choice (I like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine)
your choice of herbs (1 1/2 t dried Italian seasoning is a good bet. I had fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano from my garden, so I used those. Note that dried herbs are more concentrated, so I used about a tablespoon of each fresh herb)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice (optional)
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute mushrooms in butter on medium-high heat until golden brown. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and lemon juice, if using. If using fresh herbs, reserve to add at the end. Bring to a low simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. The pasta has a tendency to stick to itself and the bottom of the pan, so stir frequently. When pasta is al dente, remove from heat and stir in Parmesan, lemon juice, and fresh herbs, if using. Pasta should be fairly saucy at this point. If it is too dry and thick, add a bit more water or milk. If it is too thin, let stand, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken.
Serves 5-6.
Reheats and even freezes well. Just add a little water or milk and reheat gently.
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