Spicy and smoky, creamy, garlicky tomatoey pasta sauce with artichoke hearts, spinach and chestnut mushrooms. A short tube pasta like mezzi rigatoni works great here - the sauce clings onto the ridges, so you get a perfect coating in every bite.
This is a great weeknight dinner - coming together in 20 minutes, it's super simple to make and a real crowd-pleaser. Serve up with a garnish of fresh parsley, cracked black pepper and a dressed rocket salad, or for a little indulgence, some crispy garlic bread.
This recipe started off inspired by penne alla vodka - an 80's American-Italian dish made with tomato paste, cream and a little vodka to help emulsify the sauce. I tested this recipe with and without vodka and actually preferred it without - perhaps the vegan creme fraiche I used emulsifies more readily, but I felt the vodka gave a slight harsh bitter flavour to the sauce, so I didn't include it in the final recipe. I also love the slightly sour and more complex flavour the creme fraiche adds, complimenting the smoky and spicy notes.
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Spicy Artichoke, Mushroom & Spinach Pasta | Serves: 4 | Time: 20 mins
You'll need
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sauté pan
- Sauce pan
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 150g chestnut Mushrooms
- 250g meze rigatoni (or other tube pasta)
- 1/4 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili flakes
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 150g vegan creme fraiche (I used Oatly)
- 1 cup artichoke hearts (from a jar, sliced into 1/4s)
- 100g spinach
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt
Method
- Finely dice an onion and mince three cloves of garlic.
- Heat a sauté pan on medium-low, add 2 tbsp olive oil with the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
- Bring a large pan of generously salted water to the boil.
- Slice the mushrooms, turn the heat up on the saute pan and add to the pan with a pinch of salt. Let the mushrooms brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 7-9 minutes, until just al dente. Then drain, reserving 1/2 a cup of pasta water.
- Reduce the heat on the sauté pan and add the tomato puree, herbs, chili flakes, nutritional yeast and black pepper and cook off for a few minutes. Add the creme fraiche and artichoke hearts and heat through.
- Add in the spinach, cooked pasta and 1/4 cup pasta water, stir together, adding a splash more pasta water as required to achieve desired consistency.
- Serve with a garnish of chopped fresh parsley and a crack of black pepper and enjoy!
