Are you a creamed spinach fan? Do you also love mushrooms & pasta? Ever wish you could combine all three? Then you’ll probably love this! The end result is a very creamy pasta that won’t have you slaving for hours in the kitchen. It comes together super quick, and now that I’ve been through it once, I probably don’t need to follow the recipe again! I found some asparagus chilling in my fridge, so I tossed it into the sauce. It added a really yummy crunchy bite to the pasta- and a little more depth.
My only advice is- eat the pasta fast (the sauce starts to thicken up when the heat escapes) and make sure you have someone else to eat it with! No one can be trusted with a pot of this at hand. Maybe you can answer this question for me…All those veggies negate the calories & fat in the creamy sauce, RIGHT?! I thought so!
Let’s get started!!
You’ll need to get your pasta going in a pot of boiling water.
This recipe calls for whole wheat pasta-which I’m sure would be awesome! For some reason, Casey isn’t a fan…so I used regular spaghetti.
Heat up some olive oil- throw in some garlic.
Toss in your mushrooms & cook them for a bit.
Gather your cream cheese & milk.
This is the part where I realized I have leftover asparagus to use up!
I tossed them in with the mushrooms and cooked them for a couple of minutes. Now it’s time to add the dairy components!
After your sauce thickens & the cream cheese melts- add the spinach & wilt it down.
You have a creamy sauce now!
Add it to the cooked spaghetti. STIR STIR STIR!!!
Throw in your chopped chives.
Add LOTS of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top! Season with salt & pepper.
Top with grated parm and DIVE RIGHT IN.
You won’t want to stop eating it. I’m pretty sure of that.
Mushroom Spinach & Asparagus Pasta
(recipe from Sunset Magazine)
- 8 ounces whole-wheat pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 pound sliced mushrooms
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 cups lightly packed spinach
- 1/2 lb. asparagus, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Boil 2 qts. water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, add garlic and mushrooms, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and milk and heat until boiling, stirring often. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour over pasta. Sprinkle with chives and serve with parmesan on the side.
