Simply prepared pasta with mushrooms, onion, cream cheese, and spinach.
| Servings | 2 Portions |
| Tags | Budget | Italian | Main Course | Mushroom | Pasta | Vegetarian |
| Allergens | Celery, Gluten, Milk, Wheat |
| Cook Time | 60 min |
Here, I'm attempting to create a tasty everyday pasta dish using as few ingredients and as little effort as possible. I think it turned out really well; I ended up with a delicious, creamy mushroom pasta that - while it does take a bit of time in the oven - doesn't require much active monitoring or work otherwise.
The method here involves roasting the onion and mushrooms in the oven with a little oil, then starting the pasta just as they're nearing completion. Once the onion and mushrooms are fully cooked, they go back into the same hot pot used for the pasta to be mixed with cream cheese (the garlic and herb variety), a splash of reserved pasta water, and spinach. Once the mixture reaches the right consistency, the pasta is quickly tossed in to warm through, and it's ready to serve.
I initially tried making this dish with several cloves of garlic roasted until soft-squeezing them out into a mild garlic paste - which certainly worked well, but I wanted an even simpler version. So, I skipped the fresh garlic and used flavored cream cheese instead. It cuts out a step while still delivering great results for an everyday pasta meal.
If you want to try out the concept, however, you can roast a whole head of garlic - halved and wrapped in aluminum foil - in the oven (for about 40-60 minutes) and then squeeze out the soft cloves.
As always when cooking in the oven, there are a few variables involved - such as the efficiency of your oven, the thickness of the slices, the size of the ovenproof dish, and so on. You might need to adjust the cooking time slightly. This is what works for me at home.
If you want to add a touch of luxury to the pasta, you can grate some Pecorino or Parmesan over the top and garnish with a little chopped parsley. You can also add some lemon (juice and/or zest) if you like, but I wanted to keep this as a simple base recipe that you can build upon with your own favorite flavors.
More Images
Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Clean and slice the mushrooms. Slice the onion.
- Place the mushrooms and onion in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, mix well.
- Roast at 200°C for 40-50 minutes, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
- When the mushrooms and onion have about 15 minutes of roasting time left, cook the pasta in salted water.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1-2 dl of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Transfer the cooked mushroom and onion mixture to the pot used to cook the pasta and heat over medium heat.
- Add the cream cheese - mix.
- Add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed.
- Add the spinach and mix.
- Add the cooked pasta and heat through - serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1288.04 kcal | 644.02 kcal | 189 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 163.22 g | 81.61 g | 23.95 g |
| Fat | 52.75 g | 26.37 g | 7.74 g |
| Protein | 38.1 g | 19.05 g | 5.59 g |
| Sugar | 16.29 g | 8.14 g | 2.39 g |
| Salt | 3.95 g | 1.98 g | 0.58 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximated and calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
