Whether it’s a Monday dinner for the family or a Friday date night, no one can dispute the appeal of a rich, comforting, and oh-so-good pasta like this Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Pasta. And yes, the Japanese love pasta just like anyone else. We love noodles and carbs, and we enjoy experimenting with global dishes, giving them a new dimension with our very own Japanese twist.
Concept of this Creamy Mushroom Pasta
In Japanese cuisine, there’s a concept called Japanese-style pasta, or what we refer to as Wafu Pasta (和風パスタ). These are essentially Italian pasta dishes that incorporate a few Japanese condiments and sometimes Japanese ingredients.
In this Creamy Mushroom Pasta, for example, I added shiitake and shimeji mushrooms to give new life to this Western-style noodle dish. I also added a splash of soy sauce to the cream. You don’t need a lot of soy sauce—just the right amount to lend nice umami, depth, and savoriness.
Other condiments like miso, sake, and tonkatsu sauce are also commonly used in Western dishes (pasta, soup, main dishes, etc.). You don’t have to reserve Japanese condiments for Japanese food. Have fun experimenting!
Here are some wafu pasta recipes on the blog:
- Easy Wafu Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus
- Classic Mentaiko Pasta
- Ume Shiso Pasta
- Napolitan (Ketchup Spaghetti)
Variations for the Pasta
This recipe calls for 4 main ingredients: pasta, bacon, mushroom, and garlic, which are staples in the kitchen. But feel free to replace them with pretty much any other ingredients from your fridge. Here are some of my suggestions that would go with this creamy sauce.
Protein
- Chicken
- Ham
- Sausage
- Shrimp
- Salmon
Vegetables & Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Kale
- Asparagus
- Portobello mushrooms
- Oyster mushrooms
- Chanterelle mushrooms
- Enoki mushrooms
Do you have any other good ideas? Please share in the comments below!
5 Tips to Remember When Cooking Pasta
The following tips will apply to the majority of pasta recipes you’ll be cooking.
- Use 4 quarts (4 L) of water for ½ to 1 lb of pasta.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of kosher salt (if table salt, use half) to the water.
- Typically, cook 4 oz (113 g, ¼ lb) of dried pasta per person.
- Cook pasta till al dente; slightly undercooked or “firm to the bite”.
- Reserve ½ cup (120 ml) pasta cooking water just in case you need to dilute your pasta sauce.
Love of Italian Food in Japan
If you have never been to Japan, it might be hard to imagine that the Japanese cook and eat Western food quite often. In fact, Italian restaurants are everywhere in Japan—yes, everywhere. At home, we cook all kinds of pasta, some with a Japanese twist (we call this type “Wafu Pasta” 和風パスタ).
Several years ago I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the growing Japanese influence on San Francisco food (it’s an interesting read if you have time). In the article, editor Michael Bauer mentioned that chef David Kinch at Manresa said, “the best French and Italian restaurants in the world outside of France and Italy are in Japan. It is that amazing.” My neighborhood Italian restaurants in Yokohama serve superb Italian food compared to the local Italian restaurants in my neighborhood here in the US.
When you’re in Japan and get tired of eating Japanese food, try an Italian restaurant—you might be pleasantly surprised!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon (5.3 oz, 150 g)
- 1.8 oz shimeji mushrooms (½ package; or use any other mushrooms)
- 4 cremini mushrooms (1.8 oz, 50 g; or use button mushrooms)
- 4 shiitake mushrooms (1.8 oz, 50 g; or use any other mushrooms))
- 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
For the Pasta
- 8 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine; 4 oz, 113 g per person)
- 4 quarts water
- 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Creamy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Garnish
- parsley
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Add 1½ Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 4 quarts water to a large pot and bring it to a boil for cooking the spaghetti. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Once the water is boiling, add 8 oz pasta and cook according to package instructions. Tip 1: Stop cooking 1 minute earlier as you will continue to cook the pasta in the frying pan. Tip 2: Before draining the pasta, reserve ½ cup (120 ml) pasta cooking water. Drain well and set aside.
- Cut 4 slices bacon into ½-inch (1.25-cm) pieces.
- Cut the bottom of 4 cremini mushrooms and slice them. Cut the bottom end of 1.8 oz shimeji mushrooms.
- Remove the stems of 4 shiitake mushrooms and slice the caps.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. Note: If you use a nonstick frying pan, you can skip the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and sauté.
- Once the bacon fat renders, crush 2 cloves garlic and add into the pan.
- Add all the mushrooms and sauté together. Add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) and make sure to keep stirring so the flour doesn’t stick at the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in 1 cup milk, ⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Continue scraping off the bottom of the pan. The flour will thicken the sauce.
- Taste the sauce and add ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick, you can add ¼ cup of pasta cooking water (after that, add one tablespoon at a time) to dilute the sauce. Tip: You want to make sure it tastes a bit stronger than you want the final dish to be (because you will add the spaghetti).
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the frying pan, or alternatively, you can pour the sauce over the spaghetti on a serving plate. Using the pair of tongs, coat the spaghetti with the sauce.
- If you‘d like, add freshly ground black pepper. Serve and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @justonecookbook on Instagram so we can see your delicious creation!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 9, 2011. It was updated with new images in February 2019.
Cooking Time: <45 minutes
Makes 2 servingsIngredients:2 servings of spaghetti
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cut into ½” pieces
3 mushrooms, sliced
2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg shimeji mushroom, cut off the base part of shimeji mushrooms
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Parsley for garnishDirections:1. Start cooking spaghetti according to package instructions. Prepare the rest of ingredients. You can combine heavy whipping cream and milk in the same measuring cup.2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil on medium heat and cook garlic until fragrant.3. Add bacon and sauté.4. Add the three kinds of mushrooms and mix all together. Sprinkle pepper if you like.5. Stir in flour and keep mixing with wooden spoon. Constantly scrape off the bottom of the pan.6. Stir in whipping cream and milk and continue scraping off the bottom of the pan.7. Add bouillon and break it with the wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to a boil.8. When boiling, add soy sauce and mix all together.9. When the sauce gets thicken, add black pepper (and salt) to taste. Bacon is salty so I usually don’t put salt here.10. You can add spaghetti in the skillet to mix with the sauce, or you can pour the sauce over the spaghetti on a serving plate. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
