Creamy Prawn Spaghetti with Garlic Mushrooms

If you like prawns and creamy pasta, this prawn spaghetti recipe is a really easy one to try. It combines prawns, mushrooms and garlic with spaghetti in a creamy sauce made with cream cheese, Parmesan and milk. Even better, it’s made in the Instant Pot, so you don’t need a pan for the pasta and another one for the sauce.

I think pasta is one of the easiest meals to fall back on when you haven’t got the time or enthusiasm for anything complicated. I usually have several different shapes in the cupboard, although quite why I need quite so many at once is another matter!

This prawn and mushroom pasta is a little different from the tomato-based pasta meals I make more often. It’s creamy, garlicky and filling without requiring loads of preparation.

If you’re reading this outside the UK, you might be more familiar with shrimp and mushroom pasta. Whichever you call them, it’s the same idea: prawns or shrimp, mushrooms and spaghetti in a creamy garlic sauce.

Ingredients for prawn and mushroom pasta

You will need:

• 230g dried spaghetti
• ½ large brown onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 240ml semi-skimmed milk
• 115g cream cheese
• 470ml chicken stock
• 200g large prawns, tails removed
• 50g mushrooms
• 50g grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

It’s worth getting everything weighed and ready before you start because the first part of the recipe moves fairly quickly.

One thing I would check when buying the prawns is whether they’re raw or already cooked and what the packet says about cooking them. Prawns aren’t all sold in exactly the same way, so don’t assume one packet can automatically be used in exactly the same way as another.

How to make prawn spaghetti in the Instant Pot

Start by turning your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil and diced onion and cook for around 3 minutes, stirring as needed, until the onion has softened.

Add the crushed garlic and sauté for another minute.

Turn the Instant Pot off while you add everything else. Pour in the chicken stock, then break the dried spaghetti in half and add it to the pot. The spaghetti needs to be submerged in the stock, so move it around a little if necessary.

Add the prawns and butter, fit the lid and seal the Instant Pot. Set it to manual pressure for 5 minutes.

When the cooking time finishes, carefully perform a quick pressure release according to the instructions for your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. I wouldn’t leave it to release naturally because the pasta will continue cooking while it’s sitting there and could become too soft.

Once the pressure has completely released, remove the lid and add the milk, Parmesan and cream cheese. Stir everything together before adding the mushrooms.

Put the lid back on, but don’t turn the Instant Pot back on. Leave it for around 5 minutes. The residual heat allows the cheese to melt into the sauce and the mushrooms to soften.

Give everything another good stir and serve while it’s hot.

Do prawns and mushrooms go together?

If you’ve ended up here after searching this exact question, yes, they do!

Mushrooms have quite a distinctive earthy flavour, while prawns are much more delicate, but garlic and a creamy sauce work nicely with both. The Parmesan adds more flavour to the sauce too.

You can, of course, leave the mushrooms out if you’re cooking for someone who doesn’t like them. I know mushrooms are one of those foods people seem to either love or absolutely refuse to have anywhere near their dinner!

Which mushrooms should I use for prawn pasta?

Ordinary mushrooms are absolutely fine. There’s no need to buy anything fancy specifically for this recipe.

If you already have chestnut mushrooms, I can’t see any reason not to use those instead. I’d use whichever mushrooms you normally buy rather than ending up with half a packet of something different sitting forgotten at the back of the fridge.

The recipe only uses 50g, so it’s also handy if you have a few mushrooms left from another meal that need using.

Can I use a different type of pasta?

The recipe has been made using 230g dried spaghetti, so that’s what I’d recommend if you want to make it exactly as written.

Penne, fusilli and tagliatelle would all taste good with prawns, mushrooms and a creamy sauce, but changing the pasta shape can affect cooking times, particularly when you’re cooking it under pressure.

If you’ve got spaghetti, I’d stick with that rather than changing something unnecessarily.

For ordinary pasta cooking rather than pressure cooking, have a look at my how to cook pasta guide. I’ve covered cooking times, sticking, rinsing, pasta water and most of the other questions that tend to crop up.

Can I make prawn and mushroom pasta without an Instant Pot?

You could certainly make a creamy prawn and mushroom pasta on the hob, but I wouldn’t tell you to follow these instructions exactly because pressure cooking pasta and boiling it in a saucepan aren’t the same thing.

You’d need to cook the spaghetti according to its packet instructions and make the creamy prawn and mushroom part separately, adjusting the liquid as necessary.

I would rather tell you that than give you an untested hob method and pretend it’ll definitely work!

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, there are plenty of traditionally cooked dishes amongst my pasta recipes, so have a browse through those instead.

Can I add more vegetables?

Yes, although I wouldn’t simply add loads of extra vegetables before pressure cooking because some could end up considerably more cooked than others.

Courgette, broccoli and peppers would all work nicely with these flavours. I’d be tempted to cook them separately and stir them through at the end, particularly the first time you make the recipe.

You could also serve vegetables or a salad alongside the pasta rather than adding them to the actual dish.

Can I make this prawn spaghetti less creamy?

The creaminess comes from the milk, cream cheese, Parmesan and butter, so changing those ingredients will change the sauce.

If you don’t particularly like creamy pasta, I’d probably choose a different prawn pasta recipe rather than changing half of this one. By the time you’ve removed the cream cheese, Parmesan and butter, you’re basically making a different dinner!

If it’s tomato-based pasta you’re looking for, my homemade tomato pasta sauce might be more useful.

What can I serve with prawn spaghetti?

You don’t really need much with it because you’ve already got pasta, prawns, mushrooms and a fairly rich sauce.

I would probably serve some vegetables or a simple salad alongside it. Garlic bread would obviously work too, although I’m quite capable of eating an alarming amount of garlic bread with pasta, so don’t use me as a sensible guide to quantities!

If you’re looking for other easy dinners, my Slimming World pasta recipes include lots of tomato-based dishes, creamy pasta recipes, pasta bakes and other ideas.

Can I make prawn spaghetti in advance?

I wouldn’t deliberately make this one ahead if you don’t need to.

Pasta continues to absorb moisture after it’s cooked and creamy sauces tend to thicken as they cool, so the texture is nicest when the dish has just been made.

That doesn’t mean you necessarily need to throw away leftovers, but I wouldn’t make it on Monday specifically to eat on Wednesday.

Storing leftover prawn pasta

If you do have leftovers, seafood is one of those things where it’s worth being particularly careful about storage and reheating.

Cool leftovers promptly and put them into a covered container in the fridge. When reheating food, follow current UK food-safety guidance and make sure it is heated properly throughout.

The pasta and sauce may be thicker after being refrigerated, so don’t expect the texture to be exactly the same as when you’ve just made it.

Can I use frozen prawns?

Possibly, but this depends on the prawns you’ve bought.

Frozen prawns can be sold raw or already cooked, and some need defrosting before use while others may have different cooking instructions. Check the packaging rather than simply adding extra pressure-cooking time and hoping for the best.

The same applies if you’re using shrimp rather than something labelled prawns.

Can I use frozen mushrooms?

I wouldn’t choose frozen mushrooms for this particular recipe.

The mushrooms are added after the pressure-cooking stage and soften in the residual heat while the cheese melts. Frozen mushrooms can release quite a lot of water as they defrost, which could make the sauce thinner.

Fresh mushrooms are the easier option here.

Can I make this with chicken instead of prawns?

Chicken, bacon, mushrooms and a creamy garlic sauce would taste lovely together, but I wouldn’t simply replace the prawns with raw chicken and follow exactly the same pressure-cooking instructions.

Raw chicken needs to be cooked safely and changing the main protein would really make it a separate recipe rather than a simple substitution.

If it’s chicken pasta you’re after, have a look at my chicken pasta recipes instead. There are plenty of ideas there that have actually been made as chicken dishes in the first place.

Can I make this prawn pasta gluten-free?

You would need to use gluten-free pasta and check that the other ingredients you’re using, particularly the stock, are suitable for your needs.

I wouldn’t simply swap normal spaghetti for gluten-free spaghetti and assume the Instant Pot timing will be identical. Gluten-free pasta can behave differently when it’s cooked.

My gluten-free pasta alternatives guide covers some of the different choices available, and I’ve also written about how to cook gluten-free pasta without it becoming a sticky, mushy mess!

Prawn spaghetti FAQs

Can I use shrimp instead of prawns?

Yes, although check whether the product you’ve bought is raw or cooked and follow the instructions on the packet. You’ll often see very similar recipes described as shrimp pasta in the US and prawn pasta in the UK.

Do prawns and mushrooms go together in pasta?

They do. Garlic and creamy sauces work particularly well with both, which is why I’ve used them together here.

What pasta goes well with prawns?

Spaghetti works really well, but prawns can also be served with linguine, tagliatelle, penne and lots of other pasta shapes. For this Instant Pot recipe, however, I’ve used dried spaghetti.

Can I use linguine instead of spaghetti?

The flavours would work perfectly well with linguine, but I haven’t tested the pressure-cooking time with it. If you want to change the pasta in an Instant Pot recipe, check the cooking time for the particular pasta you’re using rather than assuming it’s identical.

Is this a low-calorie prawn pasta?

I wouldn’t describe this particular recipe as low calorie. It contains cream cheese, Parmesan, butter and olive oil because it’s intended to be a creamy prawn pasta.

If you’re trying to lose weight, that doesn’t mean you’re somehow banned from eating it. Portion it in a way that works for you and look at your diet overall rather than deciding one creamy pasta dinner has ruined everything.

I lost 10 stone while still eating pasta, and if there’s one thing my relationship with food has taught me since then, it’s that making individual foods the enemy really isn’t particularly helpful.

More pasta recipes to try

If you enjoyed this prawn spaghetti, have a look through my Slimming World pasta recipes for lots more ideas. I’ve got everything from simple tomato pasta dishes to creamy recipes, pasta bakes and salads.

My healthy pasta bake recipes are particularly handy when you want something you can put together for the whole family, while my pasta salad recipes are better for lunches, picnics and warmer days.

And if you’ve ever wondered whether you should actually be eating pasta when you’re trying to lose weight, I’ve also looked properly at whether pasta is healthy rather than just telling you that carbs are either wonderful or terrible.

For me, pasta is mostly just one of those incredibly useful things to keep in the cupboard. Add prawns, mushrooms, garlic and a creamy sauce and it becomes a much more interesting dinner than the emergency bowl of pasta and grated cheese I’ve definitely resorted to before!

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