Mushroom Carbonara Pasta

This mushroom carbonara is an incredibly delicious and easy vegetarian alternative to the classic carbonara for those of us who don't eat meat in general or pork in particular. Made with a whole egg, yolks, and lots of pecorino or parmesan!

Mushroom carbonara, you guys! No - wait! Bear with me! I am the first one to be skeptic when about meatless versions of pasta classics that heavily rely on meat. I love a good vegetarian pasta dish but if a recipe uses the title of an extremely iconic pasta classic, it had better be really close to the original, or be even a tad better.

This carbonara with mushrooms is just that - an incredibly delicious vegetarian alternative to the classic carbonara for those of us who don't eat meat in general or pork in particular. Super creamy and loaded with umami from mushrooms and cheese! Carbonara is traditionally made with pancetta or bacon. Here we use shiitake and cremini mushrooms that are sauteed until brown and crispy!

For me, the only way to take a meaty pasta and make it meatless but OMG so delish is by including mushrooms. I'm looking at you, my darling mushroom bolognese! Mushrooms are the gateway to meatless pasta bliss - the right ones, and lots of them!

Which mushrooms shall I use

Use kinds that are very rich in umami - the bacon of mushrooms are obviously shiitake.

With the sauce, we keep it classic, so Pecorino Romano cheese, and eggs. There’s no cream going into a classic Carbonara, you guys! And it is really not necessary because the starchy pasta water we add in when tossing pasta with yolks and cheese helps create a luscious sauce.

How to make Mushroom Carbonara

Prep: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. While the water is heating up, prepare the rest of the recipe.  Slice the mushrooms finely. 

Step 1 - Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until golden, about 10-15 minutes. Stir as little as possible to make sure they brown and moisture is locked in. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.

Step 2 The pasta water should be ready by now. Cook pasta al dente (about 10 minutes - check the package for exact timing). Once the pasta is cooked, ladle out about 1 cup of the pasta water. Don’t forget this step! Drain the pasta. While the mushrooms and pasta are cooking, whisk together the two egg yolks, the whole egg, grated cheese, parsley and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. 

Step 3 - Return the drained pasta to the saucepan with the mushrooms. The pan should still be pretty hot but the stove turned off. Immediately add ½ cup of the hot pasta water in with the cooked pasta and stir to combine.

Step 4 - Add the egg and cheese mixture. Stir quickly to create a creamy sauce. Add more pasta water if necessary and if it’s not binding, quickly return to the still-hot stovetop just for a second but don’t heat it too much. 

Transfer to a serving plate or serving dish. Garnish with chopped parsley and cheese. Serve immediately.

Tips:

• Classic Carbonara is made with spaghetti, however, you can use any kind of pasta you like but bear in mind that longer pasta might lead to the best results as the eggs are able to cook correctly over long thin noodles since it has a perfect ratio of surface area to volume.
• Traditional Carbonara recipes use sharp-tasting Pecorino Romano you can also use parm instead.

5 from 4 votes

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Mushroom Carbonara

This mushrooms carbonara is an incredible delicious vegetarian alternative to the classic carbonara for those of us who don't eat meat in general, or pork in particular. Made with a whole egg, yolks and lots of pecorino or parm!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword carbonara without bacon, vegetarian carbonara

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 big servings

Calories 714 kcal

Ingredients

• ½ pound spaghetti - 220 g
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 oz cremini mushrooms 1 cup - / 140 g
• 3 oz shiitake 1.5 cups - / 90 g
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• salt to taste
• 3 eggs at room temperature - - 2 yolks + 1 whole egg
• ½ heaping cup grated pecorino cheese or parmesan
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 pinch nutmeg

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. While the water is heating up, prepare the rest of the recipe. Slice the mushrooms finely.
2. Discard the stems of shiitake if using. The stems are too tough to eat, but do save them: Keep them to make an amazing mushroom or veggie stock - so good as a base for miso or mushroom soups and sauces!  Use a sharp paring knife to trim the stems where they attach to the cap—stems on shiitakes aren't easy to twist off.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Once melted, add olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until golden, about 10-15 minutes. Stir as little as possible to make sure they brown and moisture is locked in. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.The pasta water should be ready by now.

4. Cook pasta al dente (about 10 minutes - check the package for exact timing). Once the pasta is cooked, ladle out about 1 cup of the pasta water. Don’t forget this step! Drain the pasta. While the mushrooms and pasta are cooking, whisk together the two egg yolks, the whole egg, grated cheese, parsley and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. 

5. Return drained pasta to the saucepan with the mushrooms. The pan should still be pretty hot but the stove turned off. Immediately add ½ cup of the hot pasta water in with the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add the egg and cheese mixture. Stir quickly to create a creamy sauce. Add more pasta water if necessary and if it’s not binding, quickly return to the still hot stovetop just for a second but don’t heat it too much. Transfer to a serving plate or serving dish. Garnish with chopped parsley and cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

• Classic Carbonara is made with spaghetti, however, you can use any kind of pasta you like but bear in mind that longer pasta might lead to the best results as the eggs are able to cook correctly over long thin noodles since it has a perfect ratio of surface area to volume.
• Traditional Carbonara recipes use sharp-tasting Pecorino Romano you can also use parm instead.

Nutrition Facts

Mushroom Carbonara

Amount Per Serving

Calories 714 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 276mg92%

Sodium 118mg5%

Potassium 841mg24%

Carbohydrates 92g31%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 1341IU27%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 93mg9%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

f you tried this Mushroom Carbonara Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

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