creamy mushroom & asparagus pasta (vegan)

Who doesn't love a simple, quick mushroom pasta?

Mixed with asparagus (in this case white asparagus) and a creamy, herby sauce... what better way to end an early autumn evening in Hannover than with a big bowl of this pasta?!

Since moving to Europe, I have been fascinated with the variety of mushrooms one can get. Mushrooms I had never even heard off or seen. Different shapes, different colours, different textures.

In fact, we are enjoying them so much, we have made it our traditional Christmas Eve meal to make this mushroom fettuccine with as many varieties of mushrooms we can find. The more the better. And with homemade pasta it is even better!

In this recipe I used king oyster and chanterelles (in German: Pfifferlinge) mushrooms and fresh, white asparagus. You can however use any type of mushroom or asparagus you wish.

the ingredients.

Mushrooms.

You can use any type of mushroom you like. As mentioned above I used chanterelle and king oyster mushrooms in this recipe. Using a fork, I shredded the king oysters to give them a similar shape to the chanterelle.

Asparagus.

I prefer using asparagus when it is in season as they tastes so much better and are more tender.

I used fresh white asparagus in this dish, but it tastes just as good with fresh, green asparagus.

Pasta.

I used a durum wheat fettucine, but you can use any type of pasta you like. Homemade pasta is the best! I recommend cooking the pasta al dente, to still have a bit of bite and to hold its shape perfectly.

For a gluten-free version, make sure to use a gluten-free pasta.

Tip! Make sure to make the pasta cooking water really salty. Well seasoned pasta makes a big difference.

Adding a vegetable stock cube instead of salt is also a great way to add more flavour to the dish.

Garlic.

A little bit of garlic goes a long way. For my non-garlic loving friends (yes you, mom), you can make this without the garlic. I do however highly recommend adding some as it adds a wonderful flavour.

The cream sauce.

For this you have 2 options: A vegan cream, which is available at most health stores or a homemade cashew cream can be used as the creamy sauce.

Seasoning.

Salt, pepper and dried or fresh herbs. Herbs like oregano and thyme go so well with mushrooms. Adding garlic and/or onion powder also adds more flavour, but is not essential.

You can use any fresh or dried herbs you like.

More pasta recipes you might like

Lemon & garlic linguini, with peas and vegan 'scallops'

butternut, caper, rocket & tahini pasta

vegan meatballs with polenta & slow-cooked tomato sauce

Creamy mushroom & asparagus pasta

Simple and easy, this pasta is full of flavour and utterly delicious.

Serves: 2

Prep time: 5 min

Cooking time: 15 min

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTA

• 150g fettuccine pasta (or pasta of choice)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 – 2 cloves finely minced garlic

• 250g mushrooms of choice

• 4 or 5 fresh asparagus spears (or more if you prefer) white or green

• 2 tsp fresh or dried thyme or oregano

FOR A VEGAN CREAM (Option 1)

• 80 – 100ml vegan cream, store-bought

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp white miso paste (optional)

• Salt & pepper to taste

FOR A CASHEW CREAM (Option 2)

• 1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 20 min or in lukewarm water for about 3 hours.

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme or oregano

• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1 tsp white miso paste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean and roughly chop the king oyster mushrooms or shred them using a fork to shred to create a similar texture and shape to the chanterelle mushrooms. Set aside.

2. Clean and chop the asparagus into bite size pieces and set aside.

3. Heat a large saucepan on medium. Once hot add the olive oil and the garlic and fry for a minute or two on medium. Add the king oyster mushrooms and fry for about 5 - 7 min or until golden. Season with a bit of salt and add the dried herbs.

4. In the meantime bring a pot of water to boil and add a generous amount of salt. Once the water is rapidly boiling add the pasta and cook as per cooking instructions. With the last 2 minutes of cooking time left, add the asparagus to the boiling water.

5. Once the pasta and asparagus are cooked, drain but reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water, in case needed to thin out the sauce. Set the cooked pasta, asparagus and reserved pasta water aside.

6. Next, add the chanterelle and the vegan cream sauce * to the fried mushrooms and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes, before adding the cooked pasta and asparagus.

7. Give everything a good mix, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

* FOR THE VEGAN CREAM OPTION

1. Once the chanterelle mushrooms are added, add the vegan cream, miso paste and lemon juice and give a good stir. Add some reserved pasta water (1 tbsp at a time) if the sauce is too thick. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

* FOR THE CASHEW CREAM OPTION

1. Drain the soaked cashews and add them into a high-speed blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth.

2. Once the chanterelle mushrooms are added, add the cashew cream and give a good stir. Add some reserved pasta water (1 tbsp at a time) if the cashew cream sauce is too thick. Season with salt & pepper as desired.

Have you made this?

If you have, I would love to see your creations on Instagram.

Make sure to leave a review below and give it a rating.

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