This gorgeous pasta dish is light and flavourful, but feels indulgent and comforting at the same time. Beautiful king oyster mushrooms are the star on the plate and pair really well with fresh lemon, fragrant sage and juicy sun-dried tomatoes. Also, I’m a big fan of spelt pasta and actually even prefer their slightly nutty taste over any other pasta. Besides your tastebuds, they also keep your gut happy, as they are significantly higher in fiber than wheat pasta. Trust me and try it, I’m sure you’ll be convinced.
The cooking process is incredibly quick and easy as soon as all the ingredients are laid out, which makes it the perfect mid-week dinner. Enjoy and let me know how you get on!
This recipe is inspired by the lovely Gaz Oakley, one of my current favourite chefs. As always, I swapped a few ingredients and adjusted quantities to slightly “healthify” the dish.
100g spelt spaghetti (or any other pasta shape you like)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 medium sized king oyster mushrooms
1 small onion
chilli flakes (to taste)
1 tsp sun-dried tomato pesto
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp mild mustard
a good dash of soy cream
a handful of baby spinach
1/2 lemon, juice
salt & pepper
Serves 1
- Fill a big saucepan with water and bring to the boil.
- Meanwhile, brush any dirt off the king oyster mushrooms and cut them into 0.5cm thick slices. Then, finely slice the onion. Thoroughly wash the baby spinach and cut it into very small pieces.
- As soon as the pasta water is boiling, add a generous amount of salt, reduce the heat slightly and add your spelt spaghetti.
- While the pasta is cooking, gently heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Turn the heat back to medium and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Leave the mushrooms to brown on either side for 2-3mins and then remove from the pan.
- Add the onion to the same pan (no need to add more oil, there will still be some residue). Leave the heat on medium and stir for a couple of minutes until translucent.
- Add the chilli flakes, sun-dried tomato pesto and sage. Mix well and leave to sizzle away for another couple of minutes.
- Pour about 60ml of pasta water to the mix. As the water is starchy, it helps to bring the sauce together nicely and seasons it at the same time.
- Check if your pasta is al dente. Drain it as soon as it’s ready, leave to the side.
- Add the mustard, soy cream, a good pinch of pepper and the previously cooked mushrooms back to the sauce, stir well and bring to a bubble.
- Stir in the shredded spinach and lemon juice. Taste and add more seasoning or a dash of water if needed.
- Add in the cooked spaghetti and toss into the lovely sauce until completely coated and steaming hot.
- Serve in a bowl and enjoy!
Optional:
Not a friend of mushrooms? Use 60g of smoked tofu instead. Cut it into cubes and use the same cooking instructions as indicated for the mushrooms. Very delicious and a great source of protein.
Hesitant to use soy cream? Go for oat cream, coconut milk or even conventional cream (not for vegans) instead.
Want to mix up your greens? The dish works super well with kale or any other leafy green. Finely cut broccoli would be an interesting addition too. I often use frozen spinach or kale to save some time.