Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Air-Fried Shiitake Chips
Creamy mushroom pasta paired with crispy air-fried Shiitake chips is an easy, kid-friendly meal with an extra crunchy twist for the grown-ups to enjoy!
Let’s be honest, mushrooms can be a hard sell with kids. The texture alone is enough to trigger a full-table negotiation. The solution? Blend them into a silky, deeply flavourful sauce that nobody can pick out or push aside! All that rich, earthy goodness gets to shine without a single suspicious rubbery piece in sight. And for the grown-ups at the table, crispy air-fried shiitake chips, seasoned with fresh thyme and drizzled with olive oil, take this dish to a whole new level. Simple enough for a busy weeknight, special enough for a family dinner.
Air Fried Shiitake Chips
My personal favourite discovery made with the Air Fryer Machine is definitely Air-Fried Shiitake Mushrooms! It takes no time to make in the air fryer and is almost impossible to make any other way. Not even in a deep fryer, they turn this crunchy! You can serve a small bowl of them for the kids to try if they are curious or for those who cannot get enough. Like me!
These chips are an umami bomb au natural! I use Shiitakes because they get slightly crunchier, and their flavour is more pronounced, but they could easily be made with any other mushrooms. Plus, they are suitable for tons of dishes like omelettes, mushroom risotto, double-baked potatoes, peppery gravy filet mignon, etc.
Mushrooms: The Veggie That Acts Like a Superfood
Did you know mushrooms are one of the only plant-based foods that naturally produce vitamin D, just like humans do when exposed to sunlight? That alone makes them pretty remarkable! On top of that, they are low in calories yet surprisingly rich in protein, zinc, potassium, and vitamin B6, making them one of the most nutritious ingredients you can sneak into a family meal. This recipe is absolutely packed with them, so every bowl comes with a serious nutritional boost. And if you cannot find shiitake mushrooms at your local store, no worries at all, any mushroom you love will work beautifully here!
The Little One’s Version
Every kid is different, and that is the beauty of this recipe: it is endlessly adaptable! If your little one is sensitive to texture, simply stir in a splash more cream into their portion for an extra-smooth, silky sauce they will happily devour. As a mum, I completely get it, my own five-year-old will instantly clock anything that looks too busy or unfamiliar on his plate!
For the youngest members of the family, short pasta shapes like fusilli, macaroni, or penne are absolute winners. They are easy for little hands to pick up independently, which makes them a fantastic choice for baby-led weaning. Cook them a touch past al dente for the babies and toddlers, and you will have a lot less mess to clean up at the end, always a bonus!
Other Pasta Dishes
Mushroom Pasta with Shiitake Chips
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 600 g fusilli pasta or whatever shape you prefer
Mushroom Cream Sauce
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 200 g Portobello mushrooms or button mushrooms
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ tsp nutmeg optional
- salt and pepper
Shiitake Chips
- 200 g shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp thyme optional
- salt
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil and add the onion and portobello mushrooms. Let them cook low and slow for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is beautifully soft and fragrant.
- Cook the pasta in a big pot of boiling water (at the same time).
- Mix all the ingredients for the Shiitake Chips and cook in the Air fryer at 200°C (400F°) for 12 minutes or until crisp.
- Add the garlic and parsley about 2 minutes before adding the cream and nutmeg.
- Add the cream and warm it gently until it just begins to steam. As soon as you see it starting to fume, remove the pan from the heat. You never want to bring a cream sauce to a full boil!
- Blend with an immersion blender and adjust the sauce with more or less cream (for kids, more cream at first).
- Mix the mushroom cream into the cooked pasta, mix and top with the crunchy shiitake chips.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Did You Make This Recipe?
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The shiitake chips on mushroom pasta were a delightful combination! We couldn’t get enough of the crispy texture and rich flavors.
Explosion of mushroom flavour!
Thank you, thank you for this recipe! I cannot wait to make these (I’m a mushroom lover) – how great that they’ll add crispiness to a lovely pasta dish!
Or many more dishes!
I’m such a fan of this recipe! I love anything umami and look for any excuse to use shiitakes in a meal!
The mushroom cream sauce was very good! I used gluten free pasta and the Shiitake Chips were a fun addition!
What a fabulous use of mushrooms! I loved all the flavors in this and my kids ate it up. Such fantastic dinner ideas. This one is a keeper!
Mushrooms, cream and pasta is one of my favorite combinations, and I love how you added the nutmeg, too. Thanks for this lovely, kid-friendly recipe!
What?! No way! I love the dried mushroom snacks you can get at Costco and I never even thought of making them with my air fryer. Once I got my replacement air fryer, this was the first recipe I tried. So good!
I love all the different textures in this dish. The shitake chips are next level!
My Neice & Nephew loved this!!! The combo of creamy mushroom pasta with crispy shiitake chips was such a unique and flavorful idea.
Glad it was a hit!
i can eat just Shittake Chips forever. those are super tasty and addicting. adding to the mushroom pasta really gives it an added texture. Everyone loved it and asked for seconds!