Creamy Shell Pasta with Zucchini and Mushrooms
A delicious recipe with penne alla vodka vibes, this creamy shell pasta with zucchini and mushrooms includes portobellos for meatiness, dried porcini for flavor depth, and grated zucchini for added richness. You’ll want to reach for seconds with this one!
Recipe Mood: Cozy Comfort
Indulgence Level: Medium
Effort Level: Moderate
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our affiliate disclosure.
If you enjoy beef and shells but prefer to limit your meat intake as I do, consider making this faux creamy shell pasta with zucchini and mushrooms instead. If you’ve been checking out this site, you may already know I have a thing for mushrooms. One example are these shiitake mushroom noodles!
Chopped portobello and porcini mushrooms give this mushroom and zucchini pasta a wonderfully meaty texture and umami flavor. Then there’s the creaminess, most of which comes from heavy cream, but there’s also some shredded zucchini for added richness (and nutrition). And the taste and texture of this recipe give off penne alla vodka vibes, which is never a bad thing in my book.
Now, I know porcini mushrooms are on the pricey side, but a little goes a long way, and I strongly recommend not skipping them in this recipe. They add such an earthy taste, and I swear it’s the reason the “sauce” tastes like it’s been simmered with some wine, even though it hasn’t.
This mushroom and zucchini pasta is so rich and earthy that you won’t even miss the meat if you’re a mushroom lover like I am. Let’s dig in!
Did you know?
Mushrooms are more closely related to humans than to plants! For example, both humans and mushrooms store carbohydrate energy as glycogen, whereas plants store energy in the form of starch. Also, mushrooms, like us mere mortals, produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Shell Pasta with Zucchini and Mushrooms
Vegetarian-friendly: This dish delivers a hearty, meaty texture and taste without any meat, making it a good option for vegetarians or anyone reducing their meat intake.
Restaurant-worthy: By relying mainly on pantry and fridge staples, you get a creamy, flavorful pasta dish that feels like it came from a restaurant.
Customizable: Whether you want to add more veggies, a protein, or swap in gluten-free pasta, it adapts easily to different tastes and dietary needs.
Key Ingredients
- Dried Porcini Mushrooms: Don’t skip these mushrooms; they really make this dish!
- Tomato Paste: Another ingredient that enhances the flavor and adds color.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Recipe
- Soften porcini: Soak porcini mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and blot dry with a paper towel; set aside.
- Cook pasta: Boil pasta shells until al dente; reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Sauté mushrooms: Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add chopped portobello and cook, stirring often, until golden. Add shallots halfway through and garlic near the end; cook 1 minute more.
- Build sauce: Stir in tomato paste and cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly. Add remaining olive oil, shredded zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in heavy cream and heat through.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Add pasta to the pan. Stir to coat, loosening with reserved pasta water as needed. Add more cream, if desired.
- Finish and serve: Divide into bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano and parsley.
Pro Tips
Hot or boiling water: To soak the porcini mushrooms, heat some water in the microwave until it’s steaming, or boil it in a tea kettle.
Variations & Substitutions
-Use fresh porcini mushrooms if you can’t find dried. You may want to add more, since fresh ones aren’t as concentrated in flavor.
-If you can’t find any dried porcini or portobello mushrooms, use the earthiest tasting mushrooms you can find, such as shiitake, oyster, or chanterelles.
-Use red or yellow onion instead of the shallot.
-Add some thyme in addition to, or instead of, the parsley.
-Small shells are OK to use if you can’t find medium shells. You can also use orecchiette.
-You can use whipping cream instead of heavy cream.
-Omit the heavy cream and cheese for a plant-based version. You could also replace the cream with cashew cream.
-Add some spinach and/or peas for more nutrients and color.
-Add a small amount of tomato puree if you don’t have tomato paste. Just know that this could reduce the flavor a bit.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is all about the mushrooms, so I don’t recommend making it if mushrooms aren’t your thing. You can omit or replace them with ground beef for a meat version, but that will completely change the flavor of this particular recipe.
I’m on the side of not salting mushrooms until they’re nearly cooked, as salting them earlier releases too much water, and they won’t brown as well.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this pasta, especially since it contains heavy cream.
Reheat: Warm in the oven, covered, at 350F, or reheat in the microwave.
More Pasta Recipes
- Caramelized shallot pasta
- Lemon caper pasta with roasted garlic
- One-pan orzo with tomatoes and olives
- Orzo with asparagus and Parmesan
- Roasted tomato linguine puttanesca
- Summer lemon zucchini pasta
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a five-star review below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Creamy Shell Pasta with Zucchini and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 portobello mushrooms stems removed and chopped into small pieces
- 1 shallot peeled and minced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (Note 1)
- 1 small zucchini skin-on, shredded
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- ½ to 1 cup heavy cream
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Handful Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
Instructions
- Soak the porcini mushrooms for 15 minutes in a bowl filled with ½ cup hot or boiling water. Drain and blot the mushrooms with a paper towel to absorb excess liquid. Set aside
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells, and cook according to the directions or until al dente. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan on medium-low to medium heat. Add the chopped portobello mushrooms and cook until golden, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Halfway through, add the shallots and cook with the mushrooms. Add the garlic near the end and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute to caramelize. Stir it continously so it doesn't burn. Add the last 1 tablespoon olive oil, zucchini, salt, and pepper, and stir everything together, letting the zucchini cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the heavy cream, heating it through on low, about 1 minute.
- Add the cooked pasta shells to the mushroom mixture, stirring everything together and adding some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce and help make it creamy. Add some more heavy cream if you wish.
- Serve in bowls and top each with grated Pecorino and fresh, minced parsley if you want. Enjoy!
I’m in love with this pasta. It’s super creamy, with an intense mushroom flavor!