Spaghetti in mushroom cream sauce from the Thermomix® is a weeknight staple for us. We have made this recipe at least twice a month for years. The key is 100 g of pasta cooking water at the end. The starch from the pasta water binds the Mascarpone and stock into a smooth emulsion. Without it, the sauce separates into fat and liquid.
The recipe works in parallel: while you boil the spaghetti in a pot, the Thermomix® makes the sauce. Dinner is on the table in 20 minutes.
Spaghetti in Mushroom Cream Sauce, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 500 g spaghetti
- 2 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 30 g olive oil
- 400 g button mushrooms
- 150 g vegetable stock
- 200 g Mascarpone
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mixed peppercorns freshly ground
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
Instructions 0 / 8
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1
Cook the spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti al dente according to the packet instructions.
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2
Chop the shallots and garlic.
Meanwhile, peel the shallots and garlic, place them in the mixing bowl and chop for 5 sec / speed 5, then scrape down with the spatula.
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3
Sweat.
Add the olive oil and sweat for 3 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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4
Prepare the mushrooms.
Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and quarter them.
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5
Mix the sauce.
Add the stock, Mascarpone, crème fraîche, salt and pepper and combine for 5 sec / speed 6.
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6
Cook the mushrooms.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
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7
Pick the parsley.
Meanwhile, wash the parsley, shake it dry and pick the leaves.
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8
Serve.
Place the spaghetti and 100 g of pasta cooking water in a bowl, fold in the mushroom cream sauce and serve garnished with parsley.
Tip: Scatter a few chilli flakes over your spaghetti in mushroom cream sauce before serving.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why pasta water binds the sauce
The 100 g of pasta water from step 8 is not filler. It is the emulsifier. As pasta cooks, it releases starch into the water. That starch binds the fat (from Mascarpone and crème fraîche) with the stock into a smooth emulsion. Without pasta water the sauce splits: fat floats on top, watery stock sits below. With pasta water the sauce becomes velvety and clings to the noodles.
Scoop the pasta water just before draining. The starch concentration is highest at that point. Not from the tap.
Shallots instead of onions
We use shallots, not regular onions. Shallots are less sharp and more sweet. At 3 minutes Varoma on speed 1 they caramelise slightly and give the sauce a mild undertone. Onions do not become sweet enough in that short time and stay sharp.
5 seconds at speed 5 is enough. Any longer and the shallots turn mushy. Any shorter and the pieces are too large. Scrape down with the spatula so nothing sticks to the lid edge.
Quarter the mushrooms, do not halve them
We quarter the mushrooms. Halved mushrooms stay firm inside and go mushy outside after 5 minutes at 100°C. Quartered, they cook through evenly. The pieces keep a slight bite without being raw.
Wipe them clean, do not wash them. Mushrooms soak up water and will water down the sauce. Use a piece of kitchen paper or a mushroom brush.
Reverse direction keeps the sauce intact
5 minutes at 100°C in reverse direction at speed 1. Reverse direction stirs gently without chopping the mushrooms. Normal direction would break them down and turn the sauce brownish and cloudy. With reverse direction the mushrooms stay in quarters and the sauce remains creamy and pale.
Mascarpone and crème fraîche in a 1:1 ratio
200 g Mascarpone to 200 g crème fraîche. The ratio matters. Mascarpone alone makes the sauce too sweet and too rich. Crème fraîche alone makes it too sharp and too thin. A 1:1 mix gives creaminess (Mascarpone) and a gentle tang (crème fraîche).
5 seconds at speed 6 to combine. No longer. The sauce is smooth after 5 seconds. Blending longer makes it foamy.
Add parsley after cooking
Parsley does not go into the sauce. It is scattered fresh over the finished spaghetti. Cooked in the sauce, parsley loses its aroma and goes soft. Freshly picked leaves stay green and give a bright contrast to the creamy sauce.
Chilli flakes as an optional finishing touch
If you like heat: scatter 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes over the finished spaghetti. The flakes add a sharp accent to the mild mushroom sauce. Without chilli the dish is suitable for the whole family.
Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days
The sauce keeps in the fridge for 3 days in a sealed container. When reheating, add 2 tablespoons of milk to bring the sauce back to a creamy consistency. Without milk it becomes too thick when warmed.
Goes well with: Parmesan and rocket.
Freezing does not work. Mascarpone and crème fraîche separate when thawed. The sauce turns grainy.
More pasta recipes with the Thermomix®: One-Pot Salmon Pasta, Spaghetti with Courgette, Spaghetti Carbonara.
