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Creamy Kale Mushroom Pasta is an Italian-inspired meal made with a rich and creamy tomato sauce that brings the taste of Tuscany straight to your table! My favorite way to have a creamy pasta dish like this is with a glass of chilled white wine.
Love creamy pasta? Try balsamic steak pasta, penne arrabbiata, or cauliflower gnocchi next time!
With spring showing up a little early this year, I’ve been craving a lighter-tasting pasta dish. There’s something about those first few evenings with more sunlight and warmer temps that has veggie-forward comfort food just calling my name. So naturally I had to make a meal that brings all of the spring seasonal ingredients together.
This easy weeknight dinner is perfect for meatless Monday. It’s hearty and full of robust flavor, even without the meat, similar to this spinach artichoke pasta bake. Plus, kale is full of nutrients and anti-cancer compounds and is rich in vitamin K and vitamin C, antioxidants, and beta-cerotene.
Looking for other vegetarian pasta recipes? Try butternut squash pasta sauce with fried sage and walnuts, butternut squash and spinach lasagna, or burrata pasta with burst cherry tomatoes next.
Why You’ll Love This Kale Mushroom Pasta
- The whole dish for this easy recipe is on the table in no time.
- It’s a comforting dinner the whole family will enjoy and is a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies.
- It has so much flavor from the fresh garlic cloves and creamy sauce.
How to Make Kale Mushroom Pasta
Here are the basic steps, with images, for this garlicky kale mushroom pasta. Skip down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe.
Cook the Pasta
Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water, according to the package directions. We like ours cooked al dente.
Cook the Garlic Kale
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the minced garlic and cook until slightly golden brown, being careful not to burn it. Remove the kale from the stems and roughly chop. Add the kale to the pan and cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Set aside.
Make the Sauce and Combine
Sauce: In a large sauce pot, add olive oil and cook on medium-high heat to warm. Add the mushrooms and onions until cooked down, about 7 minutes. Pour in the pasta sauce and cream cheese and mix until melted and fully incorporated. Toss the drained pasta with the sauce to coat it all. Serve in large bowls and top with garlic kale.
Success tip: To chop kale, remove the tough, thick stems from the kale leaves by using your hands to strip the leaves away from the stems, or use a knife to cut them away. Stack the leaves on top of each other and chop them lengthwise then crosswise, similar to dicing a pepper.
Recipe Variations
- While this recipe calls for whole wheat spaghetti, you can use a different type of pasta like penne pasta or bowtie pasta. If needed, use a gluten free pasta like chickpea pasta.
- Add red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, lemon juice or lemon zest for extra flavor.
- Add protein with rotisserie chicken, cooked leftover chicken breast, or pre-cooked chicken sausage.
- My favorite mushrooms to use for this recipe are cremini mushrooms, but you can use portabello or white button mushrooms.
Freezing and Storing Tips
Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you make this mushroom kale pasta recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Kale Mushroom Pasta
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Ingredients
- For the Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups Crimini mushrooms roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 jar of Bertolli Riserva Marinara
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- For the Garlic Kale
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bunches kale
- For the pasta
- 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
Instructions
- Pasta: Boil the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is boiling make the garlic kale.
- Kale: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sautee pan, about 1 minutes. Add the minched garlic and cook until slightly browned, being careful not to burn it. Remove the kale from the stems and roughly chop. Add the kale to the pan and cook until wilted, about 6 minutes. Set aside.
- Sauce: In a large sauce pot, add olive oil and cook on medium-high heat to warm. Add the mushrooms and onions until cooked down. Onions will be slightly translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the Bertolli Riserva Marinara and mix to combine. Add the cream cheese and mix until melted and fully incorporated. Sauce will turn a lighter red color. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce to coat it all. Serve in large bowls and top with garlic kale.
The garlic kale sounds amazing and sounds like it would be a perfect combination with the pasta.
Thank you, Claira❤️
What a gorgeous meal! Wow! Yumming and pinning it 🙂
Sinea ♥
Thank you so much!?