Creamy Mushroom and Bell Pepper Pasta
A creamy mushroom and bell pepper pasta with arugula that is ready in 15 minutes. An easy cream sauce made with marscapone cheese.
After much thought and deliberation, I have made an important decision. I know the super power I would posses if I could. Ready for it?
Time manipulation.
I would be able to stop time. Like at 5:30am when the alarm goes off, I would stop time and go back to sleep for as long as I like. Or if I only had 1 day to go on vacation, I would stop time so that 1 day could stretch into a whole week.
I would be able to speed time up. Like that day I had to waste at Jury Duty last year. I could just fast forward the 8 hours until it was done.
The best would be going back in time. So when Shawn and I are old and gray, I could go back in time and do everything all over again. And maybeeee I would remember some winning lottery numbers so this time we could go thru life filthy rich.
I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I think it is the best super power of all.
Sadly, I have not come across a genie who will grant me my wish. So for now, I am making the most of the time I have. That includes super fast and easy 15 minute recipes like this creamy mushroom and bell pepper pasta. I timed myself, and from walking into the kitchen to walking back out with our plates of pasta was under 15 minutes.
The secret to the super fast creamy sauce is just 2 ingredients: marscapone cheese and some pasta cooking water. I have recently become obsessed with marscapone cheese. It’s like a very light and mild cream cheese.
This creamy mushroom and bell pepper pasta is vegetarian, and perfect for Meatless Monday. With the heart mushrooms you don’t even miss the meat.
Creamy Mushroom and Bell Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound fusilli pasta, or any pasta of choice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and removed, chopped into 1" pieces
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounce container marscapone cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby arugula, about 2 big handfuls
- red pepper flakes for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, salt and pepper until softened and the mushrooms begin to turn golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Add the marscapone cheese and allow to melt.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the cooked pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, top with parmesan cheese, and toss to combine. Add in the arugula and toss. The heat from the pasta will gently wilt the arugula. Add in pasta water to thin the pasta sauce if necessary. Allow to sit for 2 minutes so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper, season with more to taste.
- Serve warm, with red pepper flakes if desired.
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35 Comments on “Creamy Mushroom and Bell Pepper Pasta”
love this gorgi little meal! so simple and beautifully presented, this is the best kind of weeknight dinn :)
I keep wishing I could freeze time, because Kai is at such a fun and precious age…I don’t want him to grow up. So I think we’re on the same page with the time manipulation thingy. This pasta. Um, 15 minutes?! You may be my 5pm savior! Looks delicious! (and I share your mascarpone obsession…so yummy!)
WOW! This recipe looks so delicious, I wanna grab a fork and take a bite outta that picture! Great recipe, I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!
I love that the sauce here is SO easy — and you can’t go wrong with mascarpone! This pasta looks right up my alley! :)
Time manipulation is something I have always thought would be an awesome super power! Kind of an advanced time turner :) I love 15 minute meals, they’re the best! And mascarpone cheese is as well. And this pasta. And you :)
Oh my mouth is watering for this, Natalie! You had me at Marscapone (well… creamy mushroom!). And at 15 minutes.. I think I would stop time as I ate this delicious pasta… and too, calories wouldn’t count while the clock was stopped. So I could just keep diggin in, fork full after fork full! This is sooo good, Natalie! Thank you!!
GIRRRL. I’ve got a Thrillist round-up that this is going to be perrrfect for, keep an eye out for it! x
This pasta looks amazing! I love how quickly it can be thrown together and all of those mushrooms look so good!