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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions.
- 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.
- Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water, reserving 1/2 cup for the pasta sauce.
- 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.
- 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.
