Oyster Mushroom Cream Pasta

Why this Recipe? Glad you asked! Oyster mushrooms have a tender, meaty texture that makes them a great substitute for meat, their unique flavor truly shines in this dish. Their mild nuttiness beautifully complements the rich, creamy Béchamel sauce, while enhancing the earthy notes of nutmeg.

This recipe isn’t about replacing meat, it’s about letting the oyster mushrooms be the star of the dish. It’s a nudge towards sustainable cooking, showcasing a hearty option that’s just as satisfying as any meat based recipe.

Mastering Béchamel sauce is a game changer in the kitchen, It gives you the confidence to elevate countless dishes with ease. Experimenting with its consistency opens up a world of possibilities like using less liquid to make a variety of cheese like spreads perfect for sandwiches or dips, or you can add more liquid for a sauce that serves as the ideal base for soups, or casseroles.

This recipe highlights the fact that meat doesn’t have to be the center of the dish. You can enjoy a home cooked meal with simple ingredients that still make you love the outcomes. This creme recipe is great for limiting the milk you use by incorporating a non traditional substitute of 1 part vegetable broth. Usually when using vegetable broth you don’t use milk or cream this would be called a velouté. A velouté is when you make a Roux and then add a light broth, this is perfect for soups. By mixing 1 part milk and 1 part broth it creates a light cream sauce perfect for a light pasta dish.

Oyster Mushroom Cream Sauce Pasta

A dish of excitement! creamy bechamel sauce with tender black oyster mushrooms spooned on a bed of pasta. Utilizing French cooking and a dash of creativity its the perfect cozy meal for your family.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 19

Total Time 21

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 4 people

Calories 443 kcal

Equipment

1 Skillet Large
1 Skillet small
1 Pot large
1 whisk or spoon
1 measuring cup for liquid

Ingredients

2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Flour
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable broth
5 oz Black Oyster Mushrooms
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
1 tbsp Yellow Onion Minced
1/2 tsp Garlic Minced
12 oz pasta

Instructions

Prep Instructions:
1) Mix 2 Tablespoons of Flour with the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
2) Cut Oyster mushrooms into bite sized pieces.
Step 1: Cook Pasta
1) Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to the packages instructions.
2) Drain and set aside, add a dash of oil to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Cook Mushrooms
1) In a small skillet add 1 tablespoon of Olive oil, minced garlic and Onion for 3 minutes
2) Once the Onion is cooked, add in our chopped mushrooms, cook for 5-7 minutes on medium till mushrooms are done, then turn off burner and keep warm.
Step 3: Make Roux
1) Add cup of milk and one cup of vegetable broth to a microwave safe bowl to the microwave for 40 seconds till the mixture is warm. Keep the liquid warm as you'll need it for step 4: Bechamel sauce.
2) In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
3) Let the butter caramelize slightly for a richer flavor (maintain low heat as to not burn the butter).
4) Add seasoned flour mixture from the "prep instructions" step into the browned butter, mix well until smooth.
Step 4: Bechamel Sauce
1) Slowly add in the warm milk and vegetable broth from step 3, mix well with a whisk to avoid clumps
2) Once all milk and Broth is added keep whisking until completely smooth.
3) Add in the cooked Mushrooms to the sauce and serve with the Pasta.

Notes

Skip the Jarred sauce and make a French classic sauce with rich flavorful Black Oyster Mushrooms!

We hope you enjoyed this creative meal inspired by Sustainable cooking. Let’s dive into some Environmental knowledge! Learning doesn’t have to be tiresome, most of the exciting facts I’ve learned about have been during my own times of Interest, So if you’d like to come back to this page to learn some fun facts later you can utilize this Link to save in your bookmarks.

Quality extra virgin olive oil can sometimes be hard to get, so I recommend going to an Italian store and getting a bulk quantity of extra virgin olive oil. Why Olive oil, why not avocado oil? Extra virgin olive oil is more sustainable as it utilizes less irrigation water demands compared to avocado oil which is a common replacement for olive oil nowadays. The problem with this arises in its growth period. When growing avocado oil the trees of avocados grow in arid regions like Mexico and California, and need 500 – 800 gallons of water. Since avocados grow in locations that don’t experience much rainfall we need irrigation systems that spray water onto these plants. While olive trees utilize more water, the water they use comes from rainfall leading to a more sustainable growth, as extra watering practices are unnecessary. As stated in a scientific research paper they found that growing olives has a low water and low carbon footprint when grown at farms making it a sustainable agricultural product (Rossi et al,. 2020).

Why are Irrigation methods not always sustainable? We’ve all heard about California having wildfires, droughts, and people not having enough water. With irrigation systems some practices are unsustainable because of methods like Sprinkler Irrigation that sprays water randomly with the goal of watering more plants, the problem with this is occasionally the water can evaporate in the hot air as well as this being a wasteful method the majority of water isn’t guaranteed to hit the plants roots.

That’s a dose of Science! Glad to have you on this educational journey, next time you cook your next meal with us be sure to get a daily dose of Science on the side! See you again soon, or go click on some more links if you want another 3 minute read on statinable food options.

(Rossi et al,. 2020)

Rossi L, Regni L, Rinaldi S, Sdringola P, Calisti R, Brunori A, Dini F, Proietti P. Long-Term Water Footprint Assessment in a Rainfed Olive Tree Grove in the Umbria Region, Italy. Agriculture. 2020; 10(1):8. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10010008

Keyword creame sauce, dinner, Mushrooms, Pasta, Recipe, Vegetarian