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This is very good! i added some panko breadcrumbs for a crispy top, definitely going into rotation. Hubby said it was the best casserole he ever had. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
It’s baaaack!
Creamy cauliflower sauce, I mean. How long has it been now? Years? I first posted the recipe for that garlicky, creamy, healthier Alfredo type sauce in 2012, and then in 2013 I wrote a whole bunch of other recipes including a whole ecookbook with recipes using the cauliflower sauce because you and I both Could. Not. Stop. and now here it is again! Making it’s grand entrance back into my life in the most delicious pan-roasted mushroom way.
Speaking of pan-roasted mushrooms, uhmm, those little shnugins are good. When you melt a little butter in that pan and get it really nice and sizzling hot, just before browning, and then you toss in those fresh, clean, pale mushrooms and watch them soak and sizzle and slowly turn the perfect shade of roasty golden brown right before your very eyes… that’s when you know the truth about mushrooms. I’m not even going to talk about adding garlic, white wine, or any of that because I will fall right off the edge.
If I had an oven, I wou– just kidding. I won’t start that whole thing again.
But since I actually don’t have an oven and won’t have an oven until five days from now *eeeeee* I made this at HOME home, like my parent’s house, and my 12 year old brother came in and saw it being all put together and started snatching mushrooms right out of the pan. What in the? LITTLE BOY KNOWS.
You guys, I have to talk to you about something and it’s a podcast called Serial. It was recommended to me by a number of people and I’ve recently been diving head-first into the series with complete and utter reckless abandon. It’s like that with TV and me – binge-watching through a season is how I most enjoy my entertainment. So now that Serial has me wrapped around its finger, I’ve been plowing through those episodes like it’s my job. Sometimes I pull into my parents’ driveway, an hour drive from our house, and I have no recollection whatsoever of actually driving myself there. But I can, more importantly, recall every detail about Asia McLean’s letters and what truly happened in the library on January 13th, 1999.
Oh, no. I’m that girl.
If you podcast, you must start Serial. I take no responsibility for your missed meetings, appointments, and general distraction of life.
Also, if you mushroom, which I know you do because we just go together that way, you must try this deep, cheesy pan of cozy winterish comfort food.
This beauty is going to combine pan-roasted mushrooms with whole wheat pasta with the really defined ridges (mmm texture!) and creamy cauliflower sauce tossed up together, and then baked under a blanket of Gruyere cheese and decorated with fresh sage ribbons. How good is sage, by the way? Oh my gosh IT’S GOOD. Those pretty, fragrant, clean-and-cozy smelling velvety leaves are my Fall 2014 food muse.
Okay everybody put your face up to the screen now for a virtual eating together experience. Ready? One, two, three:
Mushroom Alfredo Penne Bake
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
Healthy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake with pan-roasted mushrooms, whole wheat penne pasta, creamy cauliflower sauce, and Gruyere cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 head cauliflower (about 6–7 cups of florets)
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
- 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 24 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- fresh sage, sliced into thin ribbons
- extras: caramelized onions, bacon, sausage
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes – it should still be a little firm. Drain, toss with a drizzle of oil, and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the cauliflower, and cook for 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Meanwhile saute the minced garlic with a tablespoon of butter. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked cauliflower to a blender with 2 cups broth, milk, oil, salt, and sauteed garlic. Puree until very smooth. You might need to do this in batches.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the 3 tablespoons butter in a very large skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute until golden brown.
- Toss the cooked pasta, cauliflower sauce, and mushrooms together. Add the remaining cup of broth to help the consistency stay saucy.
- Transfer to a deep 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Some of the moisture from the mushrooms will seep out – give it a quick stir to reincorporate it and make it creamy. Top with fresh sage ribbons.
Notes
If you have time and want some extra flavor, add some caramelized onions, bacon, or sausage to the pasta before mixing and baking. YUM!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: penne bake, mushroom penne, mushroom alfredo, alfredo pasta
This Healthy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake recipe is very good, Cannot wait to make this (minus onions, ew! Plus chicken sausage maaaybe?)
This looks soooo good! What type of mushrooms do you like to use?
Typically just a standard mushroom like cremini!
I love your recipes, have made many!
This recipe has become a staple on our meal plans! I low how indulgent it is while also getting a ton of nutrition through the cauliflower and mushrooms. I don’t usually buy fresh sage, but I just add dried sage to the blender when making the sauce allowing with some red pepper flakes, thyme, and rosemary (for some more herby flavor and spice) — and it comes out great! I also love toasted panko on pasta dishes, and it goes great with this dish too. Thanks for a great recipe!
Needs something to boost flavors. Very bland. I used 4 cloves garlic and added half an onion I sautéed, I had fresh chopped sage and served with Aidells roasted garlic and Gruyere cheese sausage, but it still needs more. We have lots of left overs so will add spices and see what works. I’m intrigued with the cauliflower base and will seek out more recipes for healthier eating.
Just made this but haven’t tried it yet since I was meal prepping it for the next 4 days. I normally wouldn’t write this without having tried it yet but it smelled so darn good I figured why not. I added some Italian chicken sausage into mine but otherwise stuck with the basic recipe. Can’t wait to dig in!
I want to make the date night mushroom pasta with goat cheese. But I need to eliminate the heavy cream I have SIBO. I am wondering if I can just use creamy goat cheese and mix he cheese into the pasta?
Yes, that should work!
Bland and grainy. Wasn’t for me.
This looks really good. How would I do this if I wanted to make it ahead of time, freeze it, and bake later?
Hi Emily! We don’t recommend freezing this dish because it may become soggy.
halved the recipe, ended up eating the whole thing….by myself!! sorry not sorry!!!
This was watery and grainy and weird. yuck.
Made this for dinner tonight. It is delicious! Came together quicker than I expected it too. I added some sautéed spinach and on top i cut up the sage and mixed it with some panko for a crunchy topping. So so good!
Love the sound of that crunchy topping! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carly!
This was good, but not as much flavor as I expected. I didn’t have the called for cheese and that could have made the difference, but not sure that is all of it. It needed something more within, not just on top. I did add some herbs de Provence, maybe not enough. Disappointed.
I LOVE your recipes. But this one, ugh. So much effort for so little taste. I even used homemade chicken stock… will not be making this again. Maybe recreate it with some braised vegetables or meat.
So sorry to hear that, Melissa. We appreciate the feedback!
Came out great with some modifications: used roasted garlic (10 cloves) and a tbsp Italian seasoning. Used 1 cup milk, no broth, for sauce and blended in vitamix instead of food processor (100% creamy, no graininess). Mixed pecorino and chicken sausage into pasta. Topped with 4oz mozzarella cheese.
Thanks for sharing, Maya! 😊
This looks delicious! Could I use frozen cauliflower? I don’t think it would matter much but I’m a worrier haha.
That should be fine. 🙂
I was so excited to make this dish after reading so many great reviews but the result wasn’t that satisfying: pretty plain, taste a lot like cauliflower. I think its missing some herbs but I haven’t figure out what exactly. I do like the healthy aspect of it so I probably will make it again with some changes.
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2019 for people who are trying to make more meat-free meals (everyone has to start somewhere). I would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
Can you use alternative milk/cheese for this? Like soy? I made as listed with chickpea pasta and it was fab
Wish I’d read the other reviews more closely before making this one. Lots of people mentioned that the sauce was grainy and bland. Unfortunately, I agree. I left out the final cup of broth, and still found the sauce far too slushy and gritty, even after a long time in the food processor. And I agree that this recipe made an INSANE amount of dirty dishes, which is a bummer when the end result is pretty blah.
I’m still a huge fan of your recipes! This is the first one that’s flopped for me. So I would recommend that other readers skip this particular recipe and try another.
Lindsay, do you think I could use nondairy milk (like almond milk) instead of regular milk? (For some reason, liquid dairy upsets my stomach even though I’m fine with cheese!)
Good but a bit bland. I upped the cheese big time and added lots of sausage to help compensate.
Only now seeing this and looking forward to making it. Just a suggestion about ingredients. You may want to suggest vegetable broth for a vegetarian option.
I can’t wait to try it. Only sad that I am making this for a bunch of teens as a veggie option. I may have to make it again tomorrow for my family.
Thank you for the recipe!
It looks delicious
What can you replace the chicken broth with to make it not contain meat? Can you also use almond/coconut milk instead of dairy milk?