This pasta is so perfect for autumn and winter, and so tasty. Cooking the mushrooms in stock before browning gives such a depth of flavour and the lemon hit lightens things up and makes the most of the beginning citrus season.

I’m mushroom obsessed. I like them nearly as much as I like cauliflower. There is an excessive amount of cauliflower recipes on this blog, I’d apologise but I don’t really see the issue because cauliflower is the little black dress of vegetables. There are no where near as many mushroom recipes so this year I’m going to fix that. Starting with this beauty.

Ribbons of fresh pasta coated in an intensely flavoured mushroom sauce, fragrant lemon and crunchy walnuts… it’s my ideal autumn pasta and I know I’ll be making it a lot. I buy my fresh because I live in an area with a wealth of great fresh pasta options, if you’re the kind of enthusiastic human who makes fresh pasta on the reg then you could make it yourself but I intended this to be a 30 minute mid week meal situation not a Sunday project, thus no fresh pasta recipe for you. You could easily use dry pasta but you’ll need to start cooking it a little earlier than the recipe specifies.

Now for the feel good about eating it information: Adding the baby spinach adds a good dose of iron and an extra variety of plant food, which is always a good idea when you’re having pasta. This dish is full of fibre, and even more so if you choose a good wholegrain pasta. The walnuts and extra virgin olive oil add some essential fatty acids to help keep you full for longer too. The walnuts also add protein to the dish along with the mushrooms which will also keep you feeling full. It’s basically a winner and you should make it now:)

Serves 2 generously (it’s enough for 3 serves for me)

Ingredients

300g fresh fettuccine (Can replace with dry but you’ll need a little less, and to start cooking it earlier)

400g flat mushrooms, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, finely sliced

1/2 cup spring onion (or 1 shallot), finely sliced

1/2 cup vegetable stock

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

Place finely sliced mushrooms, 1 tsp oil, garlic, onion (or shallot) and the stock in a large heavy based fry pan or a wok. Cook on medium high heat until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are just starting to colour. This will take 20-30 minutes depending on how well your pan conducts heat!

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

In a small bowl combine the parsley, lemon juice, zest, parmesan, walnuts and remaining oil. Mix well and set aside for the final step.

Add pasta to the pot of boiling water when all the water has evaporated from the mushrooms. Cook pasta according to packet directions, drain and then add to the mushrooms along with the lemon, walnut, oil and herb mixture and the spinach. Take the mushrooms of the heat and toss  everything together to coat the pasta in the sauce and wilt the spinach.

Serve with extra parmesan on top and pepper to season.

HH. x