Mushroom Cream Sauce

The great thing about an amazing sauce, like this Mushroom Cream Sauce, is that it can elevate an old recipe and make it feel brand new. It’s the perfect way to add a little pizazz to any type of meat, especially steak, meatballs and even mashed potatoes.

And let me tell you, spaghetti with a creamy mushroom sauce is where it’s at! This combined with pasta is SO good. And I have to mention that 2 of my 3 kids cannot stand mushrooms. And guess what? All 3 of my kids LOVE this recipe. Somehow the yummy creaminess made them totally forget about the veggies. My husband loves it so much, he’ll eat just the sauce, with a spoon. Maybe I should make a soup version… needless to say, it’s a total winner!

It’s made with a simple base of mushrooms, onions, garlic, vegetable broth, basil, butter and a little whipping cream for wonderful creaminess. As an added plus, the recipe comes together super quick and easy, in less than 30 minutes.

I tried this and it was a big hit with a couple of friends. I’ll make it again and again, delicious.

— Beverly

Ingredients needed

This delicious mushroom cream sauce has tons of wonderful flavors thanks to the combination of mushrooms, sautéed onions + garlic, bell pepper and heavy whipping cream. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Olive or avocado oil. For cooking down the vegetables.
• Mushrooms. My go-to mushrooms for most recipes are baby bella (cremini) mushrooms. They have a wonderful flavor and texture that works really well in this recipe. Feel free to use white button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, or wild mushrooms, instead.
• Bell pepper. I love the colorful addition of a red bell pepper, but use any color you want. This ingredient can also be omitted, if preferred.
• Onion + garlic. Sautéed onion and garlic adds delicious aromatic flavor.
• Butter. Just 1 tablespoon unsalted butter is needed to add a little extra richness.
• Basil, salt & pepper. Salt and pepper will bring out all of the delicious flavors and I love the taste of basil in savory sauces. Feel free to add in whatever herbs you have on hand that sound good. Thyme, oregano, rosemary or sage would all be great alternatives.
• Flour. To thicken the sauce.
• Broth. Serves as the base. To keep this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable broth. Chicken broth or beef broth work too.
• Heavy whipping cream. For all that delicious creaminess!
• Garnish. The addition of fresh herbs is optional, but highly recommended for color and freshness. I also love to add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese over the top when serving.

Recipe variations

This mushroom sauce recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to adjust ingredient amounts and customize things as you wish! Here are some different options:

• Gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free flour or even cornstarch as a thickening agent.
• Dairy-free. Instead of heavy whipping cream, use almond milk or another nondairy alternative. Even regular milk or half-and-half would work, but depending on which liquid you use, you may need to whisk the mixture longer or shorter for it to thicken properly.
• Make it smooth. If you’d rather your mushroom cream sauce be smooth, use an immersion blender to purée it, until it reaches your desired level of smoothness. Or carefully transfer it to a blender (being sure to slightly lift the lid on the blender to allow hot air to escape) and purée until smooth.
• Make it spicy. To add a little heat, stir in 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper when you add the basil.

Storing leftovers

Store leftover mushroom cream sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 4 days. Rewarm in the microwave or over the stovetop before serving with recipe of choice. If the sauce gets too thick sitting in the fridge, you may need to stir in a small amount of milk or broth when rewarming. I haven’t tried freezing this, but I don’t think it would hold up well to being frozen.