Name: Pasta with Mushroom-Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pasta
• 4 oz. mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (separated)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Dijion mustard (optional)
• a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to directions
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
• Sauté mushrooms in the melted butter
• Remove mushrooms from saucepan
• In the saucepan, melt 2 tablesppons butter over medium-low heat.
• Add the flour and whisk together to form a paste.
• Cook for 2 minutes while whisking continuously.
• Add 1/4 cup of the milk and whisk until smooth.
• Repeat until you’ve added all the milk.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil while whisking constantly.
• Let boil one minute and take off the heat.
• Add cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, and cayenne pepper, if using.
• Stir until cheese is melted.
• Stir cooked mushrooms into the sauce
• Stir the sauce into the pasta and serve

Comments: 7/18/2024 - I used the sauce with Farfalle pasta, and served it with a green salad and green peas with mint. We finished it in one meal.
6/5/2025 - The cheese sauce ingredients mostly followed the recipe, although I had a little too few mushrooms, I omitted the pepper, and I doubled the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. I substituted 1/2 cup of yogurt for 1/2 of the cup of milk. When I added the flour to the butter, it grew to large amount. Gail thought I could completely eliminate the flour. I added a small can of sliced, black olives to replace the missing mushrooms.
8/19/2026 - I had 8-oz Chef's blend mushrooms plus about 3-oz white. I used about 3 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, and substituted 1 1/2 cups yogurt for the whole milk. I did not use any flour, but did add 2 1/2 oz sliced black olives. Served alongside Gemelli pasta.

Source: Based loosely on https://cookthestory.com/best-cheese-sauce/

Return to the main page