Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Shallots
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This is my kind of pasta dinner — chunky mushrooms and spinach simmer with shallots, white wine, and butter to make a light, clingy sauce for pasta. Easy enough for Tuesday, but definitely weekend-worthy!
No complicated steps, no fancy ingredients, it’s just the kind of easy, throw-it-together dinner that somehow makes you feel like you’ve got it together. I love this combination so much that I created this baked version with rigatoni and spinach in a creamy ricotta sauce.
Karen’s ingredient notes:
- Shallots: Shallots are the key flavor builder here. They make this recipe stand out from the rest. Compared to onions, they become sweeter, more delicate and nuanced when they’re sautéed, which really plays up the umami flavors in mushrooms.
- Mushrooms: I prefer a balanced mix of mild white mushrooms and meatier portobellos — the combination adds an earthy, savory depth and texture that makes this mushroom pasta so good. I like to slice them about 1/2-inch thick so they brown evenly and stay nice and chunky. If you only have one type, no problem — just cook them long enough to draw out their moisture and concentrate the flavor.
- Greens: Spinach is my first choice, but baby kale, chard, or any tender leafy greens will melt right into the sauce. Sturdier greens (like mature kale or collards) can work too — just give them an extra minute or two to soften before tossing with the pasta. A mix of greens adds nice flavor contrast and beautiful color, especially if you use rainbow chard.
Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Shallots
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced shallots, about 1 large or 2 medium
- Kosher salt
- 10 ounces (275 g) white button mushrooms, sliced into chunky pieces
- 8 ounces (225 g) portobello mushrooms, sliced into chunky pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili (use less for milder heat)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 ounces (225 g) dried pappardelle or fettuccine pasta, or 1 pound fresh pasta
- ¼ cup (60 ml) rosé or dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter, salted or unsalted
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 5 ounces (150 g) baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Place a large (12-inch) pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and shallots to the pan along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until the shallots are softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan in one layer. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with another pinch of salt. Stir them around with the shallots. Add the garlic, chili and black pepper and continue cooking 5 more minutes, or until they are softened and have released their juices.
- While the mushrooms cook, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Note that fresh pasta will usually be done in 2-4 minutes and dried pasta in 10-12 minutes. Drain.
- Raise the heat under the mushrooms to medium-high and pour in the wine. Let it bubble and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the butter until it melts. Remove the pan from the heat and add ¼ cup cheese and spinach to the pan. Stir until the leaves are wilted.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss gently with the sauce. Serve in bowls with additional cheese sprinkled over the pasta. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy!
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Instead of spinach, you can substitute an equal amount of tender baby kale, chard, or other hearty greens, torn into bite-size pieces.
- Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. You may want to add some stock and more olive oil when reheating because the pasta will absorb the sauce as it cools.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
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Amazing and easy! Looks awesome when served and like it was an elaborate recipe! My husband loves this recipe! I’ve made it 2 times already.
SO good! Wide noodles and extra spinach. Use pasta water to add creaminess to the final product.
Very good meatless pasta dish. Exactly what I was looking for! I had all the ingredients, and it was very quick and easy to put together. Left out the red pepper flakes, but still found it quite flavorful.
Excellent! It was simply delicious followed the directions except didn’t have shallots I used yellow onion and red cause that’s all I had, also Barilla Plant base spaghetti didn’t have the plant base fettuccine. Very good recipe It’s definitely a keeper. My daughter and I are still licking our lips.
Easy and so tasty
Absolutely delicious and so easy!!! I ended up using like half of the mushrooms called for(didn’t have enough!) First time I felt compelled to leave a review because I was surprised it was so super yummy!! Will be making it again soon!
Can we use something other than wine? If we can, could just something non alcoholic
Hi Lily – Yes, you can substitute 2 tablespoons lemon juice instead of wine. Or you can just leave it out.
This was incredibly flavorful and delicious. If anyone has gluten-free folks in their orbit, I made this with Trader Joe’s gluten free fresh egg noodles (fettuccini). It’s one of the few GF noodles I’ve found that is a true stand in for regular pasta. I’m about to make this again so I thought I’d take a second to express my appreciation – thanks for a new favorite dinner!
Thanks for the tip about the TJ noodles. So glad you enjoyed it!
Wow—lots of taste with just a few ingredients! I highly recommend making this with fresh pasta noodles; I made this precisely to the recipe. This is a keeper.
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Easy to do and just different. I 1/2’d the recipe and it worked great. I made it with homemade whole wheat parpadalle and did add grilled chicken. Thank you! Will look for more recipes on your site.
Like you, I can also live without the meat in a meal! In fact, sometimes I just prefer it. My husband thinks I’m nuts, of course, he’s like a grizzly – has to eat meat with everything! Lol.
I love that you use Pappardelle pasta, I don’t think this noodle is used enough, I am definitely going to be giving your dish a try tonight, I may even persuade my husband to go without meat for a change! I’ll keep you posted!
Mushrooms are probably my favorite vegetable and I love that this dish allows me to enjoy it with this pasta in such a tasty way. Thanks!
This meal looks so delicious. Our family loves mushrooms, so this will surely be one to try soon. I also love the colours, it looks amazing. Thank you!
This is such a beautiful dish! My husband LOVES mushrooms, so I’m going to make this recipe for him this weekend 😉
So simple and so easy this has become my favorite go-to meal for the weeknights!
I love pasta dishes in general, but I prefer those with a heavy garlicky oil instead of the traditional ragu. As soon as I sort my kitchen out, this will be one of the first things I prepare.
Thanks!
Just finished making this and I can’t stop licking the spoon. It’s so good. My family loves pasta and is going to flip over this. Delicious combo and wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe has everything I love: papardelle, mushrooms, spinach! All in one. I made it and it’s so easy to make. Thanks for sharing! Can I give you 6 stars?
Could not have asked for a tastier pasta recipe. So delicious and comforting. My family loved it and no leftovers also.
Hello perfect weeknight dinner! I love this. So simple and chalk full of healthy ingredients that bring a boat load of flavour. Will be making this on repeat!