One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti

This One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti is an incredibly creamy and flavorful plant-based dinner. It can easily be made vegan, requires minimal cleanup, and takes only 30 minutes!

I know it’s the middle of the summer and turning on your oven may seem less than ideal. BUT if you’re not opposed to cooking in the summer heat, then I think you should try this recipe.

One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti is the ultimate weeknight meal. It’s all made in one pot (as the name suggests) on the stovetop (so you don’t need to turn on the oven!) and is loaded with flavor and creaminess in every bite.

But, here’s the kicker, there’s not even any cream in it! Yup, this is a healthy mushroom pasta recipe, folks. The creamy texture comes from a combination of the starch from the pasta, vegetable broth, and a little bit of parmesan cheese.

Ingredients in One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti

You can use regular or whole wheat spaghetti for this recipe. It should also work with gluten free spaghetti, but I have not personally tried it that way.

In addition to the spaghetti, you need:

• Mushrooms
• A yellow onion
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Vegetable broth
• Parmesan cheese*

*Note: this recipe is vegetarian only if you use parmesan cheese that doesn’t contain rennet. If you are trying to make this strictly vegetarian, you can omit the parmesan cheese, use vegetarian parmesan cheese, or use nutritional yeast instead. To make it vegan, skip the cheese or try nutritional yeast.

How to Make One Pot Spaghetti

This recipe really does use ONE pot. Unlike other “one pot” recipes that might require a mixing bowl, skillet, or some other pot/pan, One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti is made start to finish in a medium (or large) pot.

I first learned about this method of making spaghetti a few months ago when I was browsing Food52.com. I was immediately intrigued and excited!

If you’re new to making one pot spaghetti, like I was, here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need to do.

1. Cook the veggies in a little olive oil in a medium or large pot over medium heat. For this recipe, I used cremini mushrooms and onion.
2. Add vegetable broth and dry spaghetti (~4 cups broth to 8 ounces spaghetti), plus salt and any other seasonings you want, to the pot.
3. Hold the spaghetti with your hands, with one end in the liquid, and gently push it into the pot as the broth/veggie mixture starts to heat it up and make it more tender. Do this slowly and carefully so that you don’t break the spaghetti. Once the entire bunch of spaghetti has been pushed into the pot, give it all a good stir. Increase heat to high.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low so that it maintains a low boil.
5. Let it cook for ~20 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid and there is only a little broth left (just enough to cover the pasta as a sauce). Stir in the parmesan cheese, remove from heat, and serve!

FYI: the pasta cooks faster than it absorbs the broth. So, the final result is a very tender and creamy pasta. In other words, the spaghetti in this dish is not cooked al dente.

I personally love the way the pasta tastes and the flavor that the broth adds, but you can choose to cook the dish for a shorter time than 20 minutes and just remove some of the liquid (or keep it!), depending on how tender you want your pasta.

Sounds pretty darn delicious, don’t ya think? And oh so comforting too. Even though I’m posting this recipe in the middle of July, I know it will be on repeat in our house during the fall and winter.

Serve this meal with a side of greens or steamed broccoli for some added veggies. It can stand alone as a plant-based main dish, but if you want to bulk it up, you can add white beans, chicken, or shrimp.

Can’t you see this tasting really good with some crunchy garlic bread, too?!

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate and review it in the comments below, and don’t forget to tag @its_a_vegworld_afterall on Instagram! Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

For some other veggie + pasta dishes, check out my Spaghetti Stuffed Bell Peppers, One Pot Pumpkin Tomato Pasta (uses a different method than this one), and Lentil Pasta Primavera with Frozen Vegetables.

One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti

A creamy and healthy mushroom pasta recipe made in only one pot. An easy weeknight dinner for the whole family!

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme more to taste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 8 ounces spaghetti dry; can use regular or whole wheat
• 1/2 cup parmesan freshly grated, more to taste and for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium or large pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the vegetable broth and dry spaghetti. Hold the spaghetti with your hands and gently push it into the pot as the broth/veggie mixture heats it and makes it more tender. Stir. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low so that it maintains a low boil. Cook for ~18-23 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed, or until there's just enough to cover the pasta as a sauce. If you want a little more liquid for serving, cook for less time.

4. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Add more thyme, salt, or pepper to taste, if desired. Divide into bowls and top with another sprinkle of cheese. Enjoy warm!

Recipe Notes

To make this strictly vegetarian, use parmesan cheese that does not contain rennet or  use nutritional yeast. To make it vegan, omit the cheese entirely or use nutritional yeast. You can also make this with gluten free spaghetti.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Remember to pin this One Pot Mushroom Spaghetti now to make later!

Enjoy your dinner!

Lizzie