Fettuccine with Mushroom Marsala is a simple, elegant, restaurant style pasta that’s ready in no time, so you can enjoy a gourmet meal any day of the week.
Just because Valentine’s Day has come and gone doesn’t mean you should stop thinking about sensual foods. Like this Fettuccine with creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce. This is not only elegant, but it’s really quick.
I made this pasta for our dinner last night; we were expecting to have a quiet evening at home when, around 5 pm, we got the call from our favorite restaurant—we got off the waiting list! (Just as I was starting to get some good mileage out of teasing my husband about it.)
And we got the best table, too! It was comfy and secluded. I’m a huge table snob. To me there’s nothing worse than spending a lot of money to go out to dinner and being seated at a postage sized table wedged in between a loud-talker (Seinfeld was right on about that one) and one of those types who likes to stare at what you’re eating while they wait, endlessly, for their appetizers. Not romantic at all.
This fettuccine with mushroom Marsala is almost as good as going out. I go back to this basic sauce again and again because it’s easy yet so sophisticated. Put your nose up to the Marsala bottle and take a whiff: it’s instant white tablecloth and candlelight. All you need to pick up is some fresh thyme, and a bunch of nice looking mushrooms, whatever kind you like.
My favorite way to use mushrooms is all by themselves. Their flavor and texture is so distinctive it’s a shame to mix them in as an afterthought. Could you add chicken, or shrimp, or asparagus to this dish? Sure. But I wouldn’t.
You’re going to need about 8 ounces of mushrooms for two, or a pound for four people. You should have all the rest in the house: shallot, garlic, Marsala (one bottle lasts forever) chicken stock, cream, lemon and a box of fettuccine.
Love mushrooms?
- Warm Hummus with Mushrooms
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Mushroom Carbonara with Gruyere and Hazelnuts
- Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Baked Brie
- Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms
- Instant Pot Pork Chops in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Fettuccine with Mushroom Marsala
Ingredients
- 1/3 lb fettuccine, more if you like
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 8 oz assorted mushrooms, sliced
- 1/3 cup Marsala wine
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp Wondra flour*
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- several sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stalks
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Chopped parsley
- Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish
Instructions
- In a heavy pot melt and butter and olive oil and saute the shallot and garlic for a few minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms and saute, stirring often, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the mushrooms just tender. If the pot seems too dry, add a little more olive oil.
- Add the Marsala into the hot pot and let it evaporate for a minute, then add the chicken stock, thyme, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Let the sauce simmer and reduce for a few minutes. Sprinkle in a dash of Wondra flour and blend in.
- Add in the cream, and bring back to a simmer. Check for seasoning and set aside while you cook the fettuccine.
- When the fettuccine is just al dente, either add it to the sauce and toss well, or put it in a serving bowl and top with the sauce. Garnish with cheese and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Now THAT’S my kind of dish, Sue! The first photo is perfection. Marsala and mushrooms love each other, don’t they?
I absolutely love anything where mushrooms are the star and when you add pasta to that, it becomes one of my favorites, like this dish 🙂
Oh, that really leaped off the page. It looks so delicious. Pasta with mushrooms/marsala wine. I will not get out of bed and get something to eat because of looking at this delicious dish. I.will.not…
Looks wonderful. Marsala is a favorite of mine.
Dear Sue, This looks absolutely delicious!! Blessings, Catherine xo
I’m so happy to be cooking along with you in the Joy The Baker Cook-off! I just discovered your site and it’s gorgeous. I’m with you. I’m all about the quick meals most nights. This pasta looks outrageously delicious.
Off to check out your brownies 🙂
Yum! I love marsala, and this dish looks delicious!
A version of marsala that even us vegetarians can enjoy?!?!? LOVE IT. What a great pasta dish! Definitely celebration-worthy.
It’s funny about mushrooms, they are really kind of ‘meaty’. My husband usually want some kind of animal protein with dinner, but he doesn’t miss it all all with this dish.
Mmmm…comfort food! That is seriously mouthwatering and looks so rich I can practically taste it through the screen. Sigh. And I LOVE that plate. Want it.
Ha ha, thanks, it’s one of my favorite thrift store finds…
What a delicious post for me to start with this morning! I have it all except the mushrooms. I brushed snow off the thyme earlier this week to use in a chowder and saw that the whole bush is thriving despite the cold.
I agree with you re tables in restaurants, starers, loud talkers and add hovering bussers.
Best,
Bonnie
Thanks, Bonnie—Does thyme really grow through the winter? I have to try that, is yours in a pot or in the ground?