Pasta Florentine with Mushrooms

Quarantine cooking has taught me that besides garlic my favorite ingredient just might be spinach. It can be folded into eggs, stirred into pasta dishes, blended into smoothies, and added to curries to immediately elevate the texture, taste and nutritional value. Unlike lettuce or kale, It feels pillowy on the palate and doesn’t need to be massaged or even de-stemmed. 

I’m also a fan of cooking with fresh herbs whenever possible, but I forgot to buy Alison Roman’s favorite ingredient, parsley, during my last supermarket sweep and had to make do with the dry stuff. I tossed a handful of frozen spinach in with a couple of tablespoons of parsley and found that it more than made up for the texture without sacrificing taste for a white-wine and butter-based pasta sauce. This is my go-to recipe for quick and easy pasta when you simply can’t stomach any more red sauce. 

Ingredients

1 	tablespoon olive oil

3 	cloves garlic, minced*

         Handful of your favorite mushrooms, sliced** 

2 	cups spinach (fresh or frozen)***

1/2 	teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 	teaspoon dried thyme

1 	Tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 	cup dry white wine or extra dry vermouth

1 	Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 	servings of pasta, dealer’s choice****

Preparation

Bring pasta water and a healthy sprinkling of Kosher salt (enough to taste like the ocean) to boil. Start making the sauce while the water is boiling, pausing when it starts to boil to cook the pasta per the package directions for al dente. 

While the water is boiling, pour olive oil into a large skillet until it’s hot enough to slide nicely around the pan. Add garlic, sautéing for a quick minute to soften. Once fragrant, add mushrooms, spices, and1 teaspoon salt, and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the spinach and let it cook until it wilts. Dump in the wine, bring it to a boil and then turn down the heat so it’s just simmering and add the butter, stirring until it melts. This should give your sauce a glossy, thicker texture. 

When the pasta is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain. Add a bit of the pasta water to your sauce and let simmer for one minute. Add the drained pasta to your sauce pot and stir. Grate at least a Tablespoon of Parmesan cheese into the pan and stir again.

Plate pasta and serve with the desired amount of grated Parmesan cheese on top. Yes, more cheese. You won’t regret it. 

*You can substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

**I like crimini and shiitake together. To make this even easier, omit the olive oil, parsley, and mushroom slicing and use a bag of Trader Joe’s frozen mushroom medley to start this dish.

***You can substitute with whatever fresh or frozen dark leafy green you have in the house (e.g., arugula of kale; even romaine if you’re feeling brave). 

****I like to use a short pasta shape like elbow macaroni.