Spinach and Mushroom Pasta with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
A savory restaurant-inspired pasta dish perfect for fall and winter entertaining or as a quick weeknight dinner to warm your belly!
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Equipment
- Non-Stick Saute Pan 10 inch
- Dutch Oven or stockpot for boiling water
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 8 oz Farfalle pasta or other similar pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or butter, divided
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms stems removed, sliced into ¼ inch strips or mushrooms of your choice
- ½ cup onion yellow or white, diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine sub chicken or vegetable stock with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage sliced into thin ribbons
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese or mascarpone, to thicken sauce
- 2 cups spinach fresh or 1 cup frozen, defrosted, dried well.
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the pasta is cooking, make the creamy parmesan sauce:
- Over medium heat, add a teaspoon of oil to the non-stick pan and toast the pecans until just fragrant and golden brown, stirring occasionally, careful not to burn (3–4 minutes). Remove and set aside.
- Add butter or oil to the pan and sauté the sliced mushrooms until golden brown. (6-8 minutes). Remove and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onions over medium-low heat until translucent, 5–6 minutes.
- Add minced garlic, sauté until fragrant (1 minute), and add wine. Increase the heat to medium and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add sage, cream, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer and reduce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the parmesan and cream cheese. Simmer and stir for another 1-2 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted into the sauce.
- Stir in the spinach and cooked mushrooms and cook for 1 minute until the spinach just starts to wilt.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauté pan, stir to combine everything well, and cook another 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
- Add to a serving dish, if desired, and top with toasted pecans, parmesan cheese, and fresh sage leaves.
Notes
This recipe serves 2 people as a main dish or up to 4 as a side dish. You can adjust the serving size at the top of the recipe card as needed.
Prep all the ingredients in advance: Have all the ingredients out and set to the side of the stove before you start the sauce. Slice the mushrooms, dice the onions, and mince the garlic before you start cooking the sauce.
Make the sauce while the pasta is cooking: If the sauce gets done before the pasta, leave it to simmer on low heat until the pasta is finished cooking. You may need to add a little cream or milk if it starts to get too thick, or you can reserve some pasta water before draining to thin the cream sauce.
Salt the water for the pasta: Be sure to salt the water for the pasta well. It should taste like the ocean.
Cook the Pasta Al Dente: The pasta will cook a little more in the sauce, so make sure you cook it to al dente so it doesn't overcook in the sauce.
Store this creamy mushroom pasta in an air-tight, covered container for up to 3 days.
Reheat this mushroom pasta by gently warming it over low heat in a skillet for 5-10 minutes or until warmed through. Add a touch of milk to thin the sauce as the sauce tends to thicken when cooled and stored. NOTE: Reheating a cream sauce can be tricky. Overheating the cream may cause the sauce to break and end up with an oily mess.
SERVE WITH: Serve this pasta as a main course or side dish with a nice flat iron steak or roasted chicken. Pair it with an apple and pecan salad or a simple arugula salad and some homemade focaccia bread for a cozy dinner on a cold night.
Nutrition
Calories: 1337kcalCarbohydrates: 114gProtein: 36gFat: 80gSaturated Fat: 37gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 1116mgPotassium: 1428mgFiber: 12gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 4962IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 481mgIron: 4mg
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