I posted a picture of this creamy mushroom pasta on my Instagram page a few weeks ago and never actually got around to writing up the recipe. I really have no excuse now that the whole country is in lockdown due to coronavirus, I can’t go to work, and I don’t have a lot else to do whilst we are self isolating at home. It is a scary time for the whole world, but for those of us who are lucky enough to so far be avoiding the virus, it is a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and try out some new recipes. This is actually one of the first pasta recipes I made after turning vegan and it still remains a firm family favourite, as well as one of my favourite recipes to cook, as it is so simple yet deliciously tasty. I found the recipe online a few years ago, but since the majority of my cooking tends to involve throwing random amounts of ingredients into a pan and hoping for the best, it will have adapted slightly over the years. The recipe below is a good guideline to follow, but one of the great things about most pasta recipes is that they don’t have to be exact, as long as you can get the correct ratio of liquid to pasta and a good amount of flavour it really can’t go wrong, this is just a template so feel free to have fun with it and make it your own.
I think what makes this recipe unique compared to other creamy pasta recipies out there is that rather than cooking a sauce and then boiling the pasta in a seperate pan, the pasta is cooked in the sauce itself, this helps it to come together better and as the pasta cooks the starch thickens the sauce giving it an all round creamier texture. It is important to get all the pasta submerged in the liquid as quickly as possible otherwise it will start to burn, the milk will soften the spaghetti slower than boiling it in water usually would, so it will take longer to become flexible enough to fit into the pan. If your pan is not big enough, you might want to consider breaking the spaghetti in half first, or using a different kind of pasta such as farfalle or fusilli.
Enjoy the recipe, and keep an eye out for more quarentine creations coming soon, but most of all stay safe!
Spaghetti alla Crema
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 15 minutes
Serves – 2/3 servings
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 250g chestnut mushrooms*
- 150ml vegan white wine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 300g spaghetti* (or GF pasta)
- 500ml rice milk*
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (optional)
- 1 large handfull of spinach (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
To Serve
- Steamed tenderstem broccoli
- Steamed asparagus
- Garlic Bread
Method
- Firstly mince or finley chop the garlic, slice the onions, slice the mushrooms and set aside
- Prepare 300ml of vegetable stock
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
- Sautee the onions and garlic until the garlic starts to slightly brown
- Add in the mushrooms and pour over the white wine
- Add the dried thyme and oregano and stir to combine
- Let the mushrooms cook for about a minute, and then pour the milk and vegetable stock into the pan
- Next add the pasta, breaking if neccessary to fit into the pan
- Ensure all of the pasta is submerged in the liquid
- Allow the pasta to cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking
- Once the sauce has reduced, stir in the spinach and nutritional yeast if you wish
- Add salt and black pepper to taste and serve alongside steamed broccoli and asparagus or garlic bread.
- Tuck in and enjoy
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to share a snap on Instagram! Tag @Liv_ing.Vegan and hashtag #LivingVegan
Recipe Notes
Gluten Free – Use your favourite kind of gluten free pasta, you don’t need to make any other changes, all of the other ingredients are already 100% gluten free!
You can use your favourite variety of mushrooms, I prefer chestnut but most varieties will work fine. I find oyster mushrooms are great for giving a more meaty texture. Portabello mushrooms taste great in this recipe but they can discolour the sauce slightly.
I tend to use spaghetti or linguine, but you can use any kind of pasta
I find that rice milk gives the best flavour and texture for this recipe but again, any dairy-free milk will work.
The spinach is optional, I find it adds an extra bit of texture and colour as well as added nutrient value, but the recipe is great without it too if you prefer, if I don’t have any spinach I sometimes throw in some garden peas instead. Nutritional yeast is not neccessary, but it gives the sauce an almost cheesy taste aswell as providing some essential vitamins and minerals.
Wine – If you prefer not to use wine in the pasta sauce it is fine to ommit and substitute it for extra vegetable stock.
Extra spice – If you like a bit of a kick, feel free to add a couple of red chili flakes
Liv'ing Vegan 