Creamy Pasta Skillet with Baby Bella Mushrooms

This is a classic pasta dish with baby bella mushrooms that the family always asks me to make! It's a creamy, easy-to-put-together meal everyone loves!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 852 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
• ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ pound diced bacon
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• ½ (16 ounce) package penne pasta
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• ½ tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 (16 ounce) package sliced baby bella mushrooms

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.

Step 2

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms and garlic. Cook and stir until mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Add bacon and onion and cook and stir until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano, basil, dried parsley, dried onion, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and salt, which should soak up any grease or liquid in the pan. At this point, everything should look like it's covered in almost a paste.

Step 3

Stir in Alfredo sauce. Pour in 2 cups of milk; pour remaining 1/2 cup into the Alfredo sauce jar to clean out and pour into the skillet. Mix everything together over low heat; things will be very thin and runny, and that is what you want. Add mozzarella and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and let simmer until thickened.

Step 4

Fold drained pasta into the sauce. Plate up portions and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.