Saturday, January 8, 2011

Spinach Fettuccine with Pesto and sautéed mushrooms

It's simple, it's fast, it's tasty. What more can you ask for?

If you want to make a simple pasta dish but with a different twist than the usual, go for spinach pasta! I love spinach pasta. Not only does it give a pasta dish a lovely depth but the colour is also so appetizing.


This is a 10 minute dish! Yup, you heard me right, 10 MINUTES!
You will need:

1 packet of fresh spinach fettuccine
As much pesto as you like (I put about 3 large spoonfuls)
2 handfuls of button mushrooms, halved
1/2 tbsp each of olive oil and butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Put a large pot of water on to boil and heat a large skillet on medium-high heat
2. If you haven't got pesto already prepared this is the time to make it (view link for pesto above). Fastest method is just throw it into the food processor (as opposed to mortar and pestle)
3. Melt the butter with olive oil in the skillet, then place in mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown (3-4 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté for another minute or so
4. The water is probably boiling by now. Cook pasta as per instructions
5. Combine pesto with pasta and plate it topped with the mushrooms

TIP (Sautéing mushrooms): Using a large pan for the mushrooms is important because the mushrooms must be place in a single layer, otherwise they will release juices and steam instead of getting nice and brown.

TIP (Sauce stick to pasta): To make sauce stick to the pasta always keep a little bit of the pasta water with the pasta


It's been way too long since I've submitted anything to Presto Pasta Nights. I've missed it so much! So here I go.....my entry for the next Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Claire at Chez Cayenne

6 comments:

Claire said...

I know what I'm making next time I have pesto sauce handy. Thanks for sending this in to Presto Pasta Nights!

Ruth Daniels said...

I love 10 minute dishes. And this one has my favorite ingredients that are always on hand - pasta... pesto... and mushrooms.

Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

This is just the kind of pasta dish I love. I love mushrooms and pesto. Haven't tried spinach fettuccine before but it looks intriguing. Can you taste the spinach or is it quite subtle?

Sarah @ Taste My Plate said...

Hi Jacqueline! You can definitely taste the spinach in the spinach pasta but I wouldn't say it's very strong. If you try it let me know how you like it. Thanks for visiting :)

Couscous & Consciousness said...

Nothing better than a 10 minute pasta dish. I'm just getting into making my own pasta and have been wanting to try a spinach one. Basil and rocket are also very plentiful here right now for making pesto, so I can see I'll be making this in the next day or so :-)

Sue

Aggie said...

Oh my goodness look at this beautiful pasta!! I love everything about it!

Thank you so much for the sweet comment on my last post. You made me smile!! :)