Alfredo style pene with mushrooms

Pasta is the obvious go-to for a weeknight meal. Today, I will make a rich but relatively fast alfredo-style pene with mushrooms.

I'm going to start with boiling seasoned water. Then I heat a pan and get to wash and slice the mushrooms. I add oil to the hot pan and toss all the mushrooms in the hot pan over medium-high heat.

While cooking the mushrooms, I add the pasta to the boiling water pot and let it cook per package instructions.

Then I start dicing one onion and mincing two garlic gloves. These two can be skipped or substituted with onion and garlic powder for a faster version.

When the mushrooms are golden brown and all the water is evaporated, I add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir for a few more minutes.

Now, we reach my version of a fast, somehow sacrilegious version of Béchamel. I add butter to the mushroom pan, and after it's melted and sizzling, I add the flour and start stirring franticly. After a minute, I slowly pour the milk while stirring until it's all incorporated and the sauce thickens.

I add the pasta to the pan, fold for a few minutes for the sauce and pasta to mingle, and add pasta water to loosen the mixture as necessary. Our pasta is ready, just like that. I serve it with some grated parmesan sprinkled over the plate.