Having a busy week? Need a quick and filling lunch to keep your brain and stomach going? Look no further for I have a very simple dish that can be thrown together in less than 20 mins… I kid you not.
- Fresh pasta - I used some Barchette (little boats) but you could use the Plant Dazzler Garganelli or store bought Pappardelle. You want the pasta to be light and not super chewy.
- 1 Cup of mushrooms - I had Oyster ‘shrooms in the fridge and they work really nicely for this dish.Tear them apart so you have skinny strips. Cremini would also work.
- Pumpkin seed pesto (or your fave type)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 T of Shoyu (I used one from Shared Cultures)
- Fresh leaf Parsley finely chopped (as much as you like)
- Kosher salt, black pepper
- Slotted spoon / sieve to drain the pasta.
Set a pan of salted water to boil (for the pasta) and prepare your ingredients above.
Heat a skillet on medium heat and add a couple of Tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and toss the mushrooms to make sure they are covered in the oil. The goal is to get the mushrooms nice and caramelised and brown on each side. If the mushrooms are small, this should happen quickly ( 3-4 mins)
Add the Shoyu and listen for the sizzle, toss the mushrooms around in this to get them coated.
Turn the heat down a little and shift your focus onto the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta.. If you cooking from frozen, set a timer for 4 mins, if fresh, a timer for 3 should do.
Get your pesto ready on the side and add a small ladle or cup of the pasta water to the mushrooms. Swirl it around, this will start the sauce. If you add too much, don’t worry, it’ll cook down.
Add a Tablespoon of the pesto and swirl to cover the ‘shrooms.
Once the pasta is ready, gently remove it from the water (I use a slotted spoon) and add straight to the skillet moving the mushroom and sauce around at the same time. Don’t throw out the pasta water, you may need it.
Increase the heat in the skillet and carefully, move the pasta around, whilst adding more pasta water, more seasoning and potentially more pesto. It may feel like you need more hands, but you’ve got this.
The addition of the water ‘may’ dilute the flavour so adjust with more SHoya, more salt or pesto.
Serve on a warm plate and sprinkle with the parsley.
Enjoy.