A decadent vegetarian pasta the whole family will enjoy! Mushrooms, with their unique umami flavour, are intensified when roasted with woody herbs and balsamic vinegar. They’re then tossed through a creamy ricotta sauce spiked with garlic and lemon.
This Week
2 Dec - 8 Dec
Meal Prep Guide
This recipe is nice and simple, so doesn’t require any prep.
Tips
Tips
- Reserve your pasta water! Pasta water is filled with starch and salt which creates cloudy, murky water but is the key to a creamy sauce. Together the starch and the salt add flavour and depth to the pasta sauce as well as acting as a thickening agent.
- Because the pasta sauce is thick and creamy it is best suited for wide pasta such as linguine or fettuccine. Lighter pastas like our prawn pasta suit a thinner pasta such as angel hair or a finer spaghetti.
Shortcuts
Vegetables
- Add spinach or roughly chopped kale – add to the pasta during its last minute of cooking. Remove 1 1/4 cups of pasta water first then add the greens.
Protein
- Add bacon or ham – add at the same time as the garlic.
- Add chicken – simply add 400g of chicken tenderloins to your mushrooms, toss in the herbs, balsamic and olive oil; roast for 20-25 minutes. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces before adding to the pasta.
Other
- Swap pasta for a gluten free pasta.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 600g button mushrooms or mix (each mushrooms sliced into 4)
- 3 Tbsp fresh herbs (or 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 300-350g dried linguine or fettuccine (1 ¼ cups of pasta water reserved)
- 25g butter
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 1 lemon (juice)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 bag of rocket
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees fan bake.
- Add mushrooms to a large roasting tray, sprinkle over the mixed herbs, salt and pepper, then drizzle over the balsamic and olive oil; toss well. Pop it into the oven for 25-30 minutes (tossing halfway) or until the mushrooms are starting to crisp up.
- While the mushrooms are roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions.
- Drain the pasta once the pasta has cooked, reserving 1 1/4 cups of pasta water. Drizzle a little olive oil over the pasta and set aside (this stops it from sticking together).
- Prepare the ricotta sauce. Add the ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice, 1 cup of pasta water, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the butter and garlic to the pot (you can use the pot you cooked your pasta in) over low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the ricotta sauce and cook for a couple of minutes to heat up before adding the pasta back into the pot, along with the roasted mushrooms. Stir well to ensure all of the pasta is coated in the sauce. Add a little more pasta water if you think it needs it.
- Add the rocket to a salad bowl and dress it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Divide the pasta among plates and top with extra grated parmesan and a side of the dressed rocket.
Variations
Vegetables
- Add spinach or roughly chopped kale – add to the pasta during its last minute of cooking. Remove 1 1/4 cups of pasta water first then add the greens.
Protein
- Add bacon or ham – add at the same time as the garlic.
- Add chicken – simply add 400g of chicken tenderloins to your mushrooms, toss in the herbs, balsamic and olive oil; roast for 20-25 minutes. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces before adding to the pasta.
Other
- Swap pasta for a gluten free pasta.
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