Portobello Mushroom, Spring Onion and Pine Nut Pasta

To tell you the truth I wasn’t planning on posting this recipe. I was making a quick lunch yesterday, was in a hurry to head out the door and then realized that this was exactly what I needed to write about… the fact that sometimes we have very little time to make ourselves a quick meal, but that with a few simple guidelines it can be a wonderful, heart-warming dish that keeps you going for hours.

I very often turn to pasta dishes when I’m in no shape to cook a lengthy meal. As I have mentioned before, I am not a big fan of pasta with a lot of sauce, especially for everyday lunches. Here are the few guidelines I have been living by: firstly, don’t underestimate the power of mixing your pasta in the pan where you cooked the vegetables, meat or whatever else you are using as a garnish. Mixing the pasta in that pan melds in a few seconds all of the flavors together and makes the pasta actually taste flavorful.. because, let’s face it, pasta on its own has very little flavor. And, secondly, any pasta can use a little bit of crunch! Whether it’s pine nuts like here, toasted breadcrumbs, crispy pancetta or al dente peas – a little crunch adds wonderful texture to any pasta.

All to say, that I ended up spending some time taking a picture of my lunch, ate it cold, and was late!

Recipe (for one!)
100 grams of spaghetti
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large portobello mushroom, sliced
2 spring onions, diced
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, and more for the table
1 small handful of pine nuts, toasted
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta. In the meantime, drizzle some olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the mushrooms in a single layer. Don’t move them for 2 minutes. Turn the mushrooms and cook for another minute. Turn the heat to medium low, add the spring onions, garlic and stir with a wooden spoon. Once the pasta is al dente add a teaspoon of pasta water to the pan. Add the drained pasta and stir vigorously. Add the Parmesan and the pine nuts and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and extra Parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

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Enjoy the read!

Michelle

November 12, 2008 at 9:47 pm (16 years ago)

Ohmigod, this looks TO DIE FOR!

Cynthia

November 12, 2008 at 9:50 pm (16 years ago)

Oh gosh hon, that pasta would suit me just fine right now and I bet the bread is crunchy!

Audrey

November 12, 2008 at 10:06 pm (16 years ago)

It must just be a pasta and mushroom kind of day…this looks delicious.

mimi

November 13, 2008 at 1:37 am (16 years ago)

pine nuts but no pesto … i’m intrigued, this looks so yummy! i knew there was a reason i bought some pine nuts last week! 😉

Sara

November 13, 2008 at 2:03 am (16 years ago)

This sounds great, I love portobello mushrooms.

Dana Treat

November 13, 2008 at 2:07 am (16 years ago)

I often make pasta on my “nights off” from my clients, but don’t want to spend a lot of time on it. This looks great. You got a lovely photo from a more or less monochromatic dish – way to go!

raj

November 13, 2008 at 4:28 am (16 years ago)

this is definitely something i’d try out. esp’ since it looks like it’ll get done really fast!!

Maryann

November 13, 2008 at 6:02 am (16 years ago)

I’m glad you did post it! It looks awesome 🙂

Me

November 13, 2008 at 2:57 pm (16 years ago)

Mushrooms, garlic, onions, parmesan and easy to make! Sounds perfect to me.

The Wind Attack

November 13, 2008 at 4:23 pm (16 years ago)

so simple yet so delicious looking! I’d love to have that pasta for lunch right now.

Darius T. Williams

November 13, 2008 at 8:14 pm (16 years ago)

Looks great – and definitely soul satisfying.

*holding out plate*

-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

James

November 13, 2008 at 8:59 pm (16 years ago)

It seems like this may not give the pinenuts a chance to toast, which is entirely the point of pinenuts

Chocolate Shavings

November 13, 2008 at 9:11 pm (16 years ago)

james: the pine nuts are toasted beforehand as indicated in the ingredients. They are just tossed in with the pasta at the end so all the flavors come together nicely.

Kevin

November 13, 2008 at 9:46 pm (16 years ago)

What an amazing pasta!

Emily

November 14, 2008 at 3:47 am (16 years ago)

Sounds delish! I can’t get enough pasta in my diet.

Dawn

November 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm (16 years ago)

Oh I love pine nuts in pasta soooo much. I am totally loving this right now. Do you do take-out? lol

maggie

November 14, 2008 at 3:03 pm (16 years ago)

that looks so delicious. I bet it would be good with pecorino or some stronger cheese, too.

dessert girl

November 14, 2008 at 8:00 pm (16 years ago)

This sounds yummy! I am so making this next week!

flutter

November 16, 2008 at 8:10 pm (16 years ago)

I think I just died. I am SO going to make this. Do you think it would be ok with whole wheat pasta?

November 16, 2008 at 8:53 pm (16 years ago)

flutter: Definitely. I think whole wheat pasta would work great with the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. Let me know if you get to try it out – I would love to know your verdict!