Easy Weeknight Creamy Mushroom Pasta

After a long day at work, I love whipping up something yummy in the kitchen. Nothing fancy, just something simple that I can make up as I go along. Maybe I’m weird, but I find cooking so therapeutic after a stressful day.

One of my recent creations that was this creamy mushroom pasta that took no more than 30 minutes. I don’t always keep track of ingredients for weeknight meals, but this one seemed like it would be worth it. I used baby bella mushrooms for this dish because that’s what was in my fridge, but feel free to mix in different varieties for extra flavor!

Easy Weeknight Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
8 oz whole wheat rotini pasta
1 tsp minced garlic
20 oz mushrooms, sliced
10 stalks of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup soy milk
6 oz cream cheese, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper

Directions
Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Make sure you rinse it under cold water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms, then saute for a few minutes until the mushrooms become a richer, darker color. Add the thyme and asparagus. Continue cooking until the asparagus is tender.

Add the soy milk and cream cheese. Cook on medium-low heat, breaking up any large chunks of cream cheese with a spatula. Once the sauce has reached a nice, smooth consistency, gently fold in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes
Vegan cream cheese would be fantastic in this too! If you’re using a vegan cheese, you might also want to add some nutritional yeast (roughly 1/4 cup) for cheesy flavor.