Easy spinach mushroom pasta that’s combined with perfect seasonings makes a great, light meal.
Tonight we are going to use up what is left in the refrigerator. I wanted to do another dish, but Mary Jo is the user of what is in the fridge. I was a little disappointed, but I would have to go to the grocery store to make what I wanted. She is all for using the stuff we have before it goes bad. Not a bad concept. Therefore, easy spinach mushroom pasta it is.
Turns out she was right again and she made a delicious meal with what was in the refrigerator. The recipe card says Joe, but the recipe is Mary Jo. And this is flat out wonderful! Man, do I have a good teacher or what?
Ingredients for spinach mushroom pasta
I had a lot of leftover spinach…remember the creamy spinach I made? Then there was a box of button mushrooms that needed to be used. Then we had a small bag of sun-dried tomatoes, a little unused onion, garlic and pasta. Toss in a can of cannellini beans for protein, and you have a perfect meatless Monday meal.
This recipe is a perfect no recipe meal! Put some good things together, add some spices, taste what you’ve got and adjust until it is right. Mary Jo is the champ at this. She’ll just ask me at the end to give my opinion of the taste. Maybe more salt or pepper. White wine or vinegar?
This combination of spices and ingredients really works!
I’m glad that she talked me out of going to the store and making what I wanted! Using what we had in the refrigerator provided a killer meal. And there are some leftovers! Yum.
Give this a try. Or try one of these pasta dishes: Tomato Spinach Pasta with Spicy Shrimp or Shrimp Mac and Cheese.
Ingredients
- 8 oz rotini pasta , cooked according to package directions
- 1-1/2 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 4 large cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms , sliced
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- 15 oz can navy beans or cannellini beans , rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry or champagne vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start cooking the pasta.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes to a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to rehydrate.
- Warm olive oil in a large skillet and add the diced onion. Saute until translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and saute till they are starting to brown.
- Add the spinach to the pan by large handfuls, stirring and letting each get partially wilted before adding another large handful. Continue until all the spinach has been added, then cook for another 2 or 3 minutes to allow the moisture to evaporate.
- Drain the rehydrated tomatoes and add them, along with the cooked and drained pasta and the rinsed and drained beans to the pan, then stir and mix until heated through. Add the sherry, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with shredded cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
This can be thrown together for a REALLY fast meal with any kind of leftover pasta, rice, or other cooked grain that you happen to have in the frig; chopped or sliced Kalamata olives and/or roasted red peppers from a jar make nice additions. We had it with freshly shredded Romano cheese last night, but it’s delicious with feta, also. Garlic bread is a great side, and cantalope makes a nice finish to the meal.