Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Name: Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 lb pasta; 2-3 tbsp water; 8-16 oz mushrooms (sliced); 4 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp garlic (minced); 1 tbsp flour; 1 cup whipping cream; 1 cup 2% milk; 1 cup Parmesan (grated)

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Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce takes their classic Alfredo sauce and lightens it up a touch with the addition of lots of mushrooms! It’s a perfect weeknight dinner since it’s ready in about 10 minutes! This mushroom sauce makes an appearance on their “all you can eat” pasta menu from time to time – but now – you can have it whenever you want!

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I love making alfredo at home – it’s shockingly easy and quick!!!! It takes longer to boil the noodles than it does to make the sauce. The great thing about this dish is if you want some protein – you can add chicken, steak or shrimp to this too! Any of them would work perfectly!

Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce

What’s in the Creamy Mushroom Sauce at Olive Garden?

pasta – more on this to come – but really – whatever you like!
water – there’s enough heavy in this dish – “saute” your mushrooms in water – no need for extra oil/butter
sliced mushrooms – I LOVE mushrooms – so use as much as you like – keep in mind they do cook down a bit
butter – always salted!
minced garlic – I cheat and use the jarred kind
flour – just a touch for thickening
whipping cream – more in the FAQs but you can use a combo of cream, half & half and milk – whatever you have!
2% milk
Parmesan, grated – Romano works great too

I have to also share about the pasta I used! I used this cool tubular pasta from Pastene. They sent me a big box of goodies at the holidays and I really loved it! I like all the fun shapes they have and it was a great deal for $40 – it was HUGE! In fact, the gift box was so fun – I sent one to my mom! For this dish, I used the Regine pasta which is like spaghetti with a hole.

How to make Mushroom Alfredo

Cook pasta according to package directions
In a saute pan, add water and turn heat to medium high.
Add sliced mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove mushrooms and set aside.
Pour water out of pan and add butter and garlic to the pan.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally
Whisk in flour
Quickly add in cream, milk and cheese.
Stir frequently until sauce simmers and remove from heat
Drain pasta when done
Add mushrooms and cooked pasta to alfredo and toss lightly
Serve and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley

Can you freeze alfredo?

No. Why would you? You can make it in less than 10 minutes. Dairy doesn’t freeze well.

What if I don’t have cream?

You can use any of the following: 2%, whole milk, half and half or cream – I like to balance it out. The more cream – the thicker. The more 2% – the thinner your sauce will be. If you’re JUST using 2% – you’ll have a fairly thin sauce and need to add more butter, cheese, flour.

What pasta goes best with alfredo?

Fettucini is obviously a natural – but you can pretty much use any pasta. It’s a little heavy for angel hair – so you’d want to make a fairly thin sauce if using angel hair.

Favorite Copycat Olive Garden Recipes

Olive Garden Meat Sauce – my ab fab!!!!
Baked Tortellini Alfredo with Chicken – take the same base alfredo to a new level!
Giant Stuffed Shells – top 3 recipes on my blog!