Here's a great quick and easy weeknight dinner that even if you or your family isn't a fan of mushrooms, you might be surprised. This Mushroom and Kale Pasta is so tasty and pairs well with a simple side salad.
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
This is one of those dishes where my 6-year-old will yell from upstairs, “Mommy, what are you making?!? It smells sooooo good down there!” That girl loves to eat good food, and I love to make it, which makes us a perfect match. This recipe is also the only time I’ve ever seen my 8-year-old actually eat mushrooms and somewhat enjoy them.
See, even though I know she “doesn’t like” mushrooms, I make them anyway and just try to serve them different ways in different dishes. And once in a blue moon, all that hard work pays off when they eat (and enjoy) something new – score!
Weeknight Mushroom and Kale Pasta
Here's a great quick and easy weeknight dinner that even if you or your family isn't a fan of mushrooms, you might be surprised. This Mushroom and Kale Pasta is so tasty and pairs well with a simple side salad.
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-wheat pasta (boiled and drained according to pasta directions)
- 1 ounce mushrooms (dried)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups kale (with big stems removed and cut into strips)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper (to taste)
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
Instructions
- In a small pot, add the dried mushrooms and cover with water (minimum of 1 ½ cups). Bring to a boil and cook until the mushrooms have softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain while reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Dice the cooked mushrooms (I do this by using culinary scissors).
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan and cook while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and turn up the heat so the mixture comes to a boil. Cook until the wine almost completely boils off, about 3 to 4 minutes (if you are doubling this recipe, it will take longer).
- Pour in the 1 cup of the reserved mushroom cooking liquid and cook until reduced by half.
- Turn the heat back down to medium and add the heavy cream, kale, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 more minutes. Fold in the noodles, garnish with Parmesan, and serve.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Weeknight Mushroom and Kale Pasta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 492
Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 84mg28%
Sodium 361mg16%
Potassium 425mg12%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 4250IU85%
Vitamin C 42.2mg51%
Calcium 206mg21%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out
Sounds delicious! Mushrooms were a food I HATED as a child – until my first year of university when I decided it was high time I grow up and learn to like them. Now I can’t imagine ever wanting them out of my diet.
Looks good. Looks like a perfect weeknight dinner idea.
This sounds so good but we don’t ever buy or drink wine so I was wondering what would be agood substitute?
Use chicken or vegetable broth
I made this tonight…my husband and I both loved it. Thanks for the great recipes.
What is the calorie count on this meal please?
It looks so good but concerned about the calories in it.
Hi Connie. We do not provide calorie/nutrition info on our recipes. Our goal here is to get people off the processed stuff and, in turn, eating real food. We do not focus on numbers. Most people find themselves eating less when they are eating real because it is far more satisfying and often more nutritious than something you might eat out of a box or a can. :) ~Amy
I read this and decided on the spot to make it tonight since I had most ingredients in my pantry. I’m trying hard to like kale and thought it sounded like a way to make it a little more palatable to me. I really enjoyed but made some tweaks based on what I had: used fresh mushrooms and chicken broth instead of the wine and mushroom reserve. I also blistered some cherry tomatoes (Harris-Teeter had them on the weekend e-vic sale and I’d stocked up) and I also added some white beans for additional protein, and some basil, oregano and smoked paprika. I thought it was delicious and am looking forward to some of the “planned overs” for breakfast tomorrow. A good kale recipe, yay!!
Wondering the calorie count on this, if it has heavy cream and pasta in it I would not consider this to be that healthy of a meal. Don’t get me wrong the veggies are good!
Hi Berry. I’m copying you on my response for a similar concern: “Our goal here is to get people off the processed stuff and, in turn, eating real food. We do not focus on numbers. Most people find themselves eating less when they are eating real because it is far more satisfying and often more nutritious than something you might eat out of a box or a can.” ~Amy
Sounds so much like what we were preparing for dinner, except my husband is vegan, so we added some wine, and I will serve mine with parmesan. I am drooling!
Looks great! I’m going to add this to my meal plan for the weekend :)
Made this for dinner. It was really good and my kids loved it. I used regular mushrooms and chicken broth instead of the mushroom reserve and ended up tasting great. Thanks for the new recipe!
I don’t know if you noticed, but in your recipe you put add heavy kale and cream. Im sure you meant it the other way. :) Although I did add extra kale. :)
LOL – thank you for pointing that out! It has been fixed :)
Looks amazing! Love all these ingredients – and this is a great recipe to make little changes to depending on what you have in the fridge.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Great recipe! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and tips.
made with chicken and spinach as I didn’t have kale. YUMMO!!!
This sounds delicious, but are you not concerned with using wine? I am not a wine drinker, but the few bottles of wine that I have looked at, don’t list the ingredients? Is there a way to know what’s in your wine? Aren’t sulfites often added to wine? I would love some input. :)
There are some organic wines where they will list no sulfites added and the wines from Europe tend to not have as much.
This looks so good can not wait to try!
I know this has probably been asked before, but I’m relatively new here. Do you ever post the nutritional information for your recipes, and if not, why not?
We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. Our focus is on helping people cut out processed food while replacing them with real/whole foods. These posts help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/. ~Amy
I happen to have all of these ingredients in my pantry/fridge…yes! Dinner for tomorrow is done :)
Lisa! Mushrooms are eeking their way into our meals as well. My 4 year old picked them out at the store a few months ago as her “treat” (what? my thoughts as well) so..of course I bought them and made her try one. She literally threw it up. But for Christmas this year she got an organic mini mushroom box that you water and now the mushrooms are exploding out of the box and she is DYING to eat them!! Now I have a good recipe to use them in. Thanks!
I’m sorry, my phone is posting befire I am finished!!
Anyway, any suggestions for whole foods eating while stuck there?
Hi Courtney. Sorry, getting to this after the fact. Hope you found some decent eats. :) ~Amy
Hello! My sister and I are followers of your blog and fb page.
I’m going to be stuck in the Charlotte airport overnight, due to a cancelled flight to Indianapolis.
A
Hello! My sister and I are foll
I’ve never cooked with wine but I’d like to start. Is there any brand or specific type of wine that’s best for cooking?
Hi Jessica. Not really. Just look for a dry red and a dry white. You can find organic wines, too. ~Amy
Can you use FRESH mushrooms?
Hi Susan. Fresh mushroom will work,too. ~Amy
Could you use evaporated milk instead of the cream? I’ve heard that it’s healthier but still tastes as rich.
Hi Katherine. Evaporated milk is not an ingredient we use but it would probably work. ~Amy
your recipe instructions say add heavy kale, so move heavy in front of cream.
Can’t wait to get the Cookbook, Congrats all!!
I truly love your blog. I’ve been reading it for a little over 2 years now. But I have a hard time finding some of the ingredients you require. A lot of your answers are to look at your local health food stores. Well…where I live in PA, there really aren’t many health food stores. Closest is over 45 mins away. At one point a Wegman’s was going to be built close by (Probably the closest thing to a health food store around here), but couldn’t because they were short so many acres that’s required. This is mostly a venting comment on my situation. Poor me, I know. lol
Tiffany – have you ever tried FreshDirect.com? I personally haven’t, but I have a colleague that is vegan/gluten-free/organic-only, and he uses it all the time. Not sure what pricing is like, but might be worth a try.
I’m with you! We have a weird little grocery store (think rotten potatoes, 2 aisles of chips & nothing organic) 10 minutes from us. The “real” supermarket is 20 minutes north and the co-op is 15 minutes past that. & the closet health food store is 20 minutes in the opposite direction. :( But try http://www.localharvest.com
Tiffany,
My Son and Daughter-in-Law use a company called Door to Door Organics. They are based in Pa. I believe, and have a website that you can put in your Zip to see if they deliver to your area.
They have produce, groceries and even meat!
Thank you for letting us know about this. My mother lives in PA and was complaining that there wasn’t an CSA that would deliver. This doesn’t look completely like local produce but it’s all organic and that’s a step in the direction for her! YAY! Thank you!!
Melissa, Chicken Broth is a good subsitute for white wine!
Thanks! I’ve used it before; I just didn’t know if that was my best option.
I don’t cook with alcolhol. I know there isn’t anything that will sub for white wine exactly, but does anyone know of a good option? Thanks!
I’ve never used dried mushrooms. Can you get them at regular grocery stores or will it entail a Whole Foods run?
Linda, I know they have dried mushrooms at Dillons/Krogers/whatever version you have by you. :)
My regular grocery store carries dried mushrooms in the produce department. They’re sold in little bags on a rack, not in bulk.
There are a couple of things you can try. My daughter can’t have dairy, either. I have used almond milk thickened with cornstarch, arrowroot, or tapioca powder to sub for cream in sauces- you have to play with your amounts and thickeners and stir constantly, just like making a white sauce with dairy. For cream, a really good vegan substitute is pureed silken tofu. You can even make desserts with it! 3/4 cup of heavy cream adds a lot of fat, cholesterol, and calories.
Jasmine, when substiting the silken tofu for the heavy cream do you use the same amount of tofu as you would have the heavy cream? Also what kind do you use (firm, soft, etc) thanks :)
I find coconut milk usually works great instead of cream. We are on limited dairy in our house. Greek yogurt and sour cream usually work well too, cut with a little water or broth.
Have you used fresh mushrooms? Not a fan of dried, and could I sub pasta water forleft over mushroom water?
The reason I love dried mushrooms in this recipe is because of the wonderful broth you end up with after you bring them back to life…that right there would honestly be hard to replace with something else. Plus I find much more variety when purchasing dried mushrooms (vs. fresh), which I like to switch things up.
I wonder if coconut milk or cashew cream would sub well for the cream? We’re dairy-free here at our house. Thanks!
Hi Lisa. It is not a substitution that we have tried. If you do, please share how it turns out. ~Amy
What would you recommend as a mushroom substitute? I can’t eat them. Maybe broccoli? Cauliflower?
Hi Emily. It is difficult to substitute for mushrooms (that great umami flavor). Beef broth is a good flavor substitute but I think you could try any vegetable in this dish. ~Amy
I have made similar dishes and substituted Greek yoghurt for the heavy cream without difficulty.
Any way to sub cream for something vegan? My daughter can’t have dairy. Butter is easy.. We use earth’s balance but the cream…
Hi Rachel. We haven’t tried but perhaps full fat coconut milk/coconut cream? ~Amy
I think you could use plain Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. That’s what I would try. Sometimes I just use milk, but I think the yogurt would work and be better than milk.
I would sub the heavy cream with fat free sour cream.
Susan – I definitely wouldn’t recommend “fat free” or “low fat” anything if you are trying to avoid highly processed food – this post explains it in more detail: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/15/mini-pledge-week-6-no-low-fat-lite-or-nonfat-food-products/
I sub heavy cream with greek yogurt very often. Absolutely delicious. Cant wait to try this. Where do you find dried mushrooms?
Hi Ashley. You can usually find them in the bulk foods section in stores like Whole Foods. When looking in a conventional grocery, I’ve found them in random places. It might be best to just ask a clerk. ~Amy
I was wondering what a substitute for the heavy cream would be? What would you suggest?
Is there a reason you are avoiding heavy cream? That might help me think about a substitute.
My son has shown a sensitivity to heavy cream sometimes. I haven’t tried it in a several months d/t his reaction (instant hives and itching).