by James Coulter
Does anyone love the Super Mario Bros. Movie? I did. You can read all about it in my movie review from two years ago: https://dailyridge.com/2023/04/19/welcome-world-travelers-the-super-mario-bros-is-okey-dokey/
Anyway, I really love the scene early in the movie where Mario and Luigi are having dinner with their family. The meal they’rehaving is a creamy pasta dish with mushrooms–something Mario hates but which will, ironically enough, help give him powers later in the movie.
I really like seeing different foods in movies. They’re so appetizing and it makes me want to eat it myself. So, since watching that movie, I’ve tried my hands at making similar pasta dishes.
The pasta dish Mario and his family eat looks like a spaghetti dish served with a white Alfredo sauce with mushrooms. So, this recipe will essentially prepare just that: spaghetti with alfredo sauce with sauteed mushrooms.
This recipe makes for a good meatless meal. However, if you crave some meat, you can always grill some chicken and add it to your dish.
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Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
16. oz spaghetti or linguini noodles
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 onion, chopped and diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
1) In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add pasta noodles.
2) Add cooking oil to a medium, non-stick saucepan. Add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until brown. Set aside in a small dish.
3) Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth.
4) Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper. Thin with milk if needed.
5) When sauce reaches the desired consistency, add mushrooms and onions and stir, then remove from heat.
6) Either ladle sauce onto individual dishes of pasta noodles or mix the whole sauce into all of the noodles.
