Easy Mushroom Ricotta Pasta - Simple Italian Cooking (2024)

Ready for a quick dinner? This mushroom ricotta pasta recipe uses just a few ingredients and is so easy to put together. You’ll have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes – not kidding!

This recipe is a one pan dish where you make the creamy ricotta mixture, except for boiling the pasta of course. It also makes great leftovers for the next day. Ready to get started?

Recipe summary

Here’s a quick overview of the pasta dish. This post will go into greater detail including step by step instructions and a video further down if you prefer to watch it.

While the pasta boils, you heat up some olive oil and butter and cook down the mushrooms in it. Then add in the ricotta cheese and grated Romano. This creates a rich and creamy white sauce that is mixed with the cooked pasta.

Didn’t I say it was easy?

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that I used in this recipe.

Penne. Any tubular or thicker pasta will do. The penne works well because it has ridges that help collect the sauce.

Olive oil. I use extra virgin olive oil. Regular olive oil doesn’t have much flavor.

Butter. Adding in the butter helps create a richer base for the sauce.

Mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms very thin; this helps them cook faster.

Whole milk ricotta. I recommend using whole milk instead of skim because it gives it a creamier texture.

Grated Romano. You can also use Parmesan if that’s what you have.

Black pepper. I like to add a dash of cracked black pepper in the sauce or when serving. This is optional.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions. Please note the exact measurements are located in the recipe card below.

Step 1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions. For penne, this comes to about 10 minutes. Drain and reserve some of the pasta water.

Step 2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or skillet, heat the olive oil and butter until melted, over medium heat. Stir to blend.

Step 3. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook down for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 4. Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and then add in the ricotta and Romano and mix together until well incorporated and smooth.

PRO TIP: You can also just mix the ricotta and Romano separately in a bowl. I prefer to mix in the mushrooms after the cheeses are blended to ensure the flavors are evenly distributed.

Step 5. Once the cheeses are well blended, stir in the mushrooms.

Step 6. By this time the pasta is probably done, so drain and reserve some of the pasta water just in case you need it.

PRO TIP: The reserved pasta water is only needed if the pasta and sauce gets a little dry. The pasta water will not water down the flavor as much as regular water would.

Step 7. Add the pasta to the mushroom and ricotta mixture, add a dash of the cracked black pepper, stir well and serve!

Recipe Video

Dishes to serve this with

This recipe is very filling because of the cheese and pasta. It’s a rich dish so we want side dishes that are light, not heavy. Consider recipes such as salads, and don’t forget to consider some protein and fiber.

A lovely simple green leafy Italian salad will always go great with any pasta recipe!

Add some protein to your meal with this easy cannellini bean salad.

Eating vegetables with the pasta is always a great idea. Try some sauteed zucchini Italian-style on the side.

I hope you enjoy my mushroom and ricotta with pasta recipe. The recipe card is below which you can use to print it or get specific measurements!