This fast spinach and mushroom pasta dish can be on the table in the time it takes to boil pasta. That makes it a favorite in our house, particularly through the fall when mushrooms are at their best.
I use reduced fat garlic and herb flavor cream cheese as this saves a garlic crushing step, but feel free to use plain, or mix it up with sweet chili or chive flavor.
I use the slightly oddly shaped mushrooms my greengrocer sells for soup, but again, chestnut or field mushrooms would work well.
- Prep time:
- Cook time:
- Ready in:
- Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz linguine or spaghetti
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1 small glass dry sherry (optional)
Go ahead and grow your own mushrooms, it’s really easy and great fun. It’s the perfect way to get kids to like mushrooms too – they’ll eat what they grow.
Instructions
- Put a large pan of water on to boil
- Slice your mushrooms
- Put the butter in a large frying pan or skillet and melt it
- Add the sliced mushrooms and fry until they start to caramelize and go golden brown
- By now your water should be boiling – add the pasta and set the timer according to pasta packet directions
- Add the spinach to the mushrooms a cup at a time as it will wilt quickly to make more room
- As the last cup of spinach wilts add the cream cheese
- Turn the heat down and gently melt the cheese into a sauce
- You can add either a small glass of sherry or a splash of pasta water to slacken off the sauce, if choosing water you could always just drink the sherry
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and divide into bowls
- Spoon the sauce onto the pasta and serve immediately
Choose some lovely pasta bowls to make even the most mundane dish look elegant.
