If you're in the mood for a quick, easy, comforting pasta recipe, you're going to love this One-pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Spinach. This is a creamy vegetarian (or vegan!) angel hair pasta recipe with minimal dishes and clean-up, and it tastes so good!
2cupsvegetable stock(or chicken stock, see notes about the stock and total liquid)
2cupscanned coconut milk(or use half and half, heavy cream, or milk of your choice)
2cupswater
1lbangel hair pasta(see notes)
8cupsbaby spinach(6 large handfuls)
½cupfresh parsley or basilfinely minced
Optional: salt and pepperto taste, freshly grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot, and add the sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, and minced shallot. Stir fry over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to brown and reduce in size.
Optional step: Add ¼ cup dry white wine to deglaze the pot and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk, and water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, making sure to completely cover it in the cooking liquid, and stir with a spatula to break apart the pasta to make sure it doesn't stick together.
Cook for 2-3 minutes (or 2 minutes less than the instructions on the pasta container), continuing to stir so the pasta does not stick to itself. Add ½ cup additional water or stock, if needed, if you see the liquid evaporated but the pasta is still really undercooked. The pasta should not be fully cooked yet! It will continue to cook in the next step.
Stir in the baby spinach, and push it under the hot cooking pasta to wilt it faster. Cook until the pasta is fully cooked to your liking (about 1 more minute, in my experience with angel hair pasta), then remove from heat. Stir in the fresh basil or parsley, and serve warm, garnishing with fresh herbs and/or some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Stock: you can use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock for a richer flavor, if you're not trying to keep this vegetarian
Total liquid: I use 6 cups total liquid to cook 1 lb of angel hair pasta, but the total liquid amount depends on the size and shape of your pot and how thick your pasta is. If you like a saucier pasta, use a total of 7 cups (add an additional cup of stock or coconut milk, depending on your flavor preference!) Keep an eye on the pasta as it cooks and add water or stock in ½ cup increments if the liquid evaporated but the pasta is still undercooked. You can use any combination of stock:cream:water you like depending on whether you want a creamier or less creamy sauce
Type of pasta to use: I recommend angel hair pasta for this recipe because it cooks really fast. This recipe does require you to stir the pasta as it cooks, so cooking the angel hair in 4-6 minutes is perfect, compared to thicker pastas that can take 10-12 minutes. Make sure not to overcook the pasta before adding the spinach - the spinach will need about 2 minutes to wilt and cook after you add it to the pan
Adding extra salt: Taste the finished pasta before adding salt. You might not need additional salt if you use stock or broth that is salted already