The sound of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Wilted Spinach and Mushrooms may sound intimidating, but this classic Italian dish with a twist, is super simple and insanely delicious!
I would be lying if I said that Zach and I didn’t make pasta multiple times of week. While I like the idea of cutting glutenous carbs out of my diet, I know this is just not possible. I love pasta. I love it so much, and if I had to live in a world without it, I would be severely depressed. I see pasta as a blank slate, or a canvas to paint a picture. You can get as crazy as you want or you can keep it extremely simple.
I tend to lean towards the simple route. While Zach and I will make fresh pasta on occasion, it is just not feasible during the week. This is why I love dishes like this spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It doesn’t get much better than this you guys, and I’m almost positive you probably have most of the ingredients gracing the shelves of your pantry or refrigerator. It’s basically a pasta that has been tossed with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and parmesan cheese. I took it up a notch and threw some mushrooms and spinach into the mix, but this is a great way to get rid of some extra veggies.
This recipe is a good one. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, and I have to be honest, the leftovers are even better!
Beer So I have definitely been posting a lot of recipes paired with saisons/farmhouse ales lately. I apologize for this, but I couldn’t think of another way to go for this pairing. This dish is light. There is no denying that. You need a beer that will highlight that lightness. Something too bold and hoppy will just take away from the pasta. We certainly don’t want that. A farmhouse ale will have some nice earthiness to it, which will really pair well with this pasta.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Wilted Spinach and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 lb high-quality dry spaghetti
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper more to taste
- 8 oz quartered crimini mushrooms
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain, saving about 1/4 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- While the pasta is boiling, prepare your spinach and mushrooms. In a nonstick skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes more until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes more until the spinach is sufficiently wilted. Remove the pan from heat and add the spaghetti, reserved pasta water, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.
- Serve the spaghetti aglio e olio immediately with fresh bread if desired. Enjoy!
1 Comment
Unless I overlooked it, I did not see how many servings this recipe is for. I feel a pound of spaghetti, is a lot, but, depends on the amount of servings. Also, type of spaghetti to use is not indicated. I prefer angel hair for light dishes, and larger spaghetti for heavier sauces. There are so many choices nowadays, it would help to be more specific. Sounds really yummy, but, would need more clarification before I would make it. All ingredients are my favorites. I’ll bookmark this and hope to receive a reply. Thanks!