Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms and Boursin Sauce

Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms and Boursin Sauce is a fun, fancy recipe.

I’ve made this pasta recipe for many years, and I finally have new photos to share with you. This is a delicious pasta dinner recipe to try. It has a lighter cheese sauce, and it’s packed with plenty of mushrooms and asparagus. It’s probably more appealing to adults with the added vegetables unless you have adventurous kids! Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms and Boursin Sauce is an easy recipe too make too.

How to make Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms:

You’ll make the sauce first by sautéing sliced portobello mushrooms in butter and oil. After they are softened, you’ll add in broth (chicken or vegetable) and a container of Boursin cheese. The mushroom sauce is simmered until thickened. Meanwhile, you’ll boil the pasta. Toward the end of cooking time, pieces of asparagus are added in to give them a chance to cook along with the pasta. The pasta and asparagus are drained and then tossed with the mushroom cheese sauce.

What is Boursin cheese and where can I find it?

Boursin cheese is sold in a little tub. It’s usually found in the gourmet cheese section of your market- where you might find things like fresh mozzarella or brie cheese. You can also buy a trio of Boursin cheese at Costco. It’s a nice cheese to have around for entertaining too since it’s great to serve with crackers or to add to a charcuterie board.

About Asparagus:

Sometimes asparagus can be quite thick. If you only have access to thick ones, use a potato peeler to peel down the asparagus so they’re more manageable, thinner asparagus. If you have a nice bunch of thin asparagus, you’re good to go. The ends are tough. Be sure to snap off those ends before cutting into pieces. If you bend asparagus with your hands, it will naturally snap off the tough end and you can discard.

Substitution suggestions:

• Try using another kind of medium pasta, such as short rigatoni or penne.
• Use 2 packages of sliced portobello mushrooms (16 ounces) instead of slicing them yourself.
• There are a few different flavors of Boursin cheese. Choose whatever flavor appeals to you. Alternately, there are other brands of soft cheeses. Feel free to try another brand too.
• Don’t care for asparagus? Try using small pieces of broccoli instead.

This recipe for Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms is delicious served with a side salad and a crisp, light white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!

Here are a few more pasta recipes you might like to try:

• Pasta Shells with Feta and Herbs
• Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta
• Pasta Rustica
• Tomato Beef Pasta
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta
• Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
• Cheesy Taco Pasta
• Salmon Pasta

4.50 from 2 votes

Pasta Shells with Portobello Mushrooms and Boursin Sauce

By RecipeGirl.com (originally found in Food and Wine magazine)

An easy, creamy sauce for this pasta@

Prep: 25 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 16 ounces portobello mushrooms (stems removed, caps halved and cut into ¼-inch slices)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1¼ cups canned low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• ▢ One 5.25-ounce container Boursin cheese
• ▢ 16 ounces asparagus
• ▢ 12 ounces medium-sized pasta shells

Instructions 

• In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and well-browned (about 8 minutes). Add the broth and cheese and bring to simmer while stirring. Let simmer until slightly thickened.
• Snap the tough ends from the asparagus and cut the spears into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large boiling pot of salted water, cook the pasta until almost done (about 8 minutes). Then add the asparagus and cook until the pasta is done (an additional 4 minutes).
• Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with the mushrooms and sauce.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 578kcal, Carbohydrates: 75g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 564mg, Potassium: 831mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1329IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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