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Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta

If there is one meal I can guarantee my family will eat it’s pasta. And this egg free Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta is always a winner at my house. It’s the perfect dish for busy weeknights as it comes together in no time at all. And it’s made from simple, easy to find ingredients. 

I think my family’s true spiritual home should be somewhere in Italy. Where we can eat pasta, pizza and cannolis…and I can drink Chianti…to our heart’s content. And this is a true family favourite pasta recipe. We have this all the time. And it is Miss 5’s personal favourite. 

So, as the name suggests, it’s a cream based pasta that’s flavoured with mushrooms, onions, garlic, lemon and herbs. And the beauty of this recipe is that it’s really adaptable too. Don’t have mushrooms? Try it with some pumpkin. You can add as much or as little spinach as you like. Or if you wanted even more veggies add in some zucchini. And if you want some more protein with your meal could also add in bacon or chicken.

I love to use penne pasta with this mushroom pasta but it’s also great with a thin fettuccine or with bow-tie/farfalle pasta . Though don’t get me started as to why Mr 9 will not eat as much when I do make this with fettuccine instead of penne or bow-tie🙃… IT’S THE SAME THING PEOPLE. Anyway. Because I know this, sometimes I strategically serve with fettuccini so there is more for me…insert evil laugh here. 

Anyway I digress. The other thing I love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. So it’s the perfect pasta for busy weeknights. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

This pasta recipe uses simple, easily sourced ingredients. You will find the quantity information in the recipe card. This recipe serves 4 very hungry people but we always have enough for our family of 5 and the kids will generally have seconds.

  • Olive Oil – I use a low flavoured extra virgin olive oil in baking and cooking. You could use 20g of butter if you didn’t have olive oil for this recipe. 
  • Mushrooms – I like to use cup mushrooms or any mushrooms with a bit of flavour. You could use button mushrooms with this recipe but you may wish to sear them over a hot heat first though to get more flavour out of them. Mushrooms are a great source of fibre and vitamin B2 and B3.
  • Brown Onion – adds depth of flavour to the recipe. You could substitute with red onion if you prefer. Alternatively if your kids don’t eat onions you can omit but I would recommend serving some finely sliced spring onions/shallots on the side for the adults.
  • Garlic – the perfect partner for onions. Again it’s not a make or break to have in the dish so you can leave out, but it certainly will help add more flavour to the creamy pasta sauce and I wouldn’t personally skip it.
  • Lemon Zest and Juice – a fantastic source of vitamin c and just delicious with cream based sauces. This again is optional but really helps build the flavour and complexity of taste in this recipe so I would recommend including.  
  • Fresh Herbsparsley and rosemary work really well in this Mushroom Pasta. I tend to measure herbs (and garlic) with my heart so feel free to add in how much you like. You can also omit if you don’t have any and just used dried herbs. But they do make the dish more flavourful so I recommend to use fresh herbs if you can.
  • Dried Herbs – I like to use dried oregano in this dish. If I don’t have any fresh rosemary I will use dried instead. And Thyme also works really well in this recipe too as it is perfect to serve with mushrooms. You can omit if you do not have any and just use the fresh herbs. 
  • Salt and Pepper – if you can, I recommend using seasoning as it brings out the full flavours of the ingredients. If you are serving to younger children you may wish to omit.
  • Butter – helps to form a good base for the sauce. You can use another tablespoon of olive oil instead of butter if you would prefer. 
  • Plain flour – this helps to thicken the creamy mushroom sauce. For a gluten free alternative you could use corn flour
  • Cream – I use a thickened cream for this recipe. You could also just use milk if you do not have cream.
  • Milk – you could use more cream if you wanted to make the sauce even richer. 
  • Pasta – I like penne for this mushroom pasta dish, but I will often use fettuccini or bow-tie/farfalle. You can really just use what you would like. You could also use gluten free pasta if you had dietary requirements.
  • Baby Spinach – this is sweeter than its adult counterpart. It is nutrient dense and packed with iron, vitamin a and c and folic acid. I find that this does not really alter the flavour of the dish and the kids eat it fine but you could omit or cut it up if you are worried your kids might not eat it.
  • Parmesan – if you are wanting this to be a vegetarian dish look for a brand that does not use animal rennet. You can also substitute for a grated tasty cheese or crumbled feta in this recipe, however this will change the flavour profile. 
  • Reserved Pasta Water – as the pasta cooks it releases starch which is a great thickener in pasta sauces so don’t forget to reserve some as you drain your pasta.

How to Make Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta

In a large skillet or frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium high heat for a minute. Then once the oil has heated add in one finely diced brown onion and soften for 5 minutes.

Next add in 350g of sliced mushrooms, 2 cloves crushed garlic and the zest of one lemon (keep the lemon for later) with around 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh herbs of choice with 1 teaspoon of dried herbs and salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat until the mushrooms have softened and juicy for around 5 minutes. 

You will then need to add in 25g/1 tablespoon of butter (or more oil if using) and allow to melt, this should take less than 30 seconds. When the butter has melted evenly sprinkle one tablespoon of plain flour over the mushrooms and stir with a wooden spoon to spread evenly. 


Cook the flour off for a minute or so, stirring so it doesn’t stick, then add 300ml of cream and stir to combine. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente.

As the pasta cooks the sauce will thicken. Continue to add up to 1/2 cup of milk slowly, stirring occasionally so the sauce does not get too thick. Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/2 cup for the pasta sauce. 

Next add in 100g spinach, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, juice of one lemon and the reserved pasta water and stir through the sauce for a minute or until the parmesan has melted and spinach has wilted. Then add in the drained pasta, stir through and cook for a further minute. Check the seasoning and add more if required sprinkle with more fresh herbs and parmesan if desired and serve.

Reheating the Mushroom Pasta

While we rarely have enough of this pasta for leftovers with this dish every now and then we have enough, and you can reheat in the microwave. I like to add about 1 tbsp of milk or water over the pasta before reheating and cover the bowl with a dampen kitchen paper towel. I reheat for around 1.5 minutes then stir before reheating for another minute. Times will vary depending on  your microwave. 

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Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta

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Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Bernadette - Goodie Goodie Lunchbox
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 generous serves 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: western

Description

If there is one meal I can guarantee my family will eat it’s pasta. And this egg free Creamy Mushroom Spinach Pasta is always a winner at my house. It’s the perfect dish for busy weeknights as it comes together in no time at all. And it’s made from simple, easy to find ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 finely diced brown onion
  • 350g sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • Juice and zest of one lemon
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh herbs plus extra to serve
  • 1 tsp dried herbs
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 25g butter
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 300m cream
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
  • 500g pasta of choice such as penne, farfalle
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup (45g) parmesan (optionally use more to serve)
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) reserved pasta water

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet or frying pan heat the olive oil over a medium high heat for around a minute then add in one finely diced brown onion and soften for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the mushrooms, garlic and the zest of one lemon (keep the remainder of the lemon for later) with 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh herbs of choice, the dried herbs, 1/2 tsp salt and freshly cracked pepper and cook over a medium heat until the mushrooms have softened and juices form in the pan. This will take around 5 minutes.
  3. Add in and melt butter then sprinkle over the flour and stir around for a minute to cook off the flour and spread evenly through the mushroom mix. Then add in the cream and stir through and reduce the heat to medium.
  4. Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions.
  5. While the pasta cooks the sauce will be thickening. Slowly add in the milk to the sauce and stir occasionally so the sauce does not get too thick or stick to the pan.
  6. Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/2 cup for the pasta sauce.
  7. Add the spinach, parmesan, juice of the lemon and reserved pasta water to the creamy sauce and cook for another minute or so until the parmesan melts and the spinach wilts.
  8. Add in the pasta and cook for another minute, taste to check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired, then sprinkle with herbs and parmesan cheese (optionally) and serve.

Notes

I used a dried pasta for this recipe so the cook time for the pasta is normally a minimum of 12 minutes. If you are using a fresh pasta you will need to simmer the sauce for at least around 10 minutes before cooking the pasta.

I hope your family enjoys this pasta as much as my family do. Remember please share your pictures with me on Instagram or Facebook. And if you love this, I would love if you can please rate this recipe! 

Bernadette x

 

 

8 Comments

  1. Made this tonight for hubby and I and it was absolutely delicious! He is half Italian and said it was probably his favourite creamy pasta dish to date! I added bacon, left over roast chicken and a zucchini to ours and used sour cream instead of full cream. We didn’t have any fresh herbs available this time but I can’t wait to make it again to be able to add fresh parsley! Thanks for sharing such an easy and delicious recipe!






    • Wow! Now that is some fabulous feedback! Thanks so very much for taking the time to review – love your additions. Bernadette x

  2. Easy to make and delicious! Even my husband who doesn’t like mushrooms enjoyed it. Thank you. I will definitely come back to this recipe.






  3. Love this recipe! Your so right, a family favourite and easy to put together on those nights when you just can’t be bothered. My only problem with it is when to stop eating!






  4. Absolutely love this recipe! Even the hubby who doesn’t like mushrooms said this was one of the most delicious pastas he’s had in a while and went back for seconds. Will def make this a regular dinner!






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