Pasta is one of those dishes we never tire of. There are so many possible variations, you’ll never run out of ideas and you can still be wow-ed with a delicious sauce. Pasta Florentine is one of those tried-and-true recipes that always tastes good and is easy to make: the “Florentine” element being the creamy mushroom and spinach sauce that perfectly coats the pasta. (Chicken or salmon Florentine are also tasty options, but require a little more effort in terms of preparation and attention.)
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz. penne pasta
- 3 cups medium mushrooms (shitake or porcini), stems removed, sliced
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat and saute mushrooms, seasoned with salt and covered, for 15-20 minutes, or until softened.
- Stir occasionally and reduce heat if mushrooms start to burn.
- Add spinach to mushrooms and pour in lemon juice. Cook until wilted, then add walnuts.
- Cook pasta according to packaging directions, or until al dente. Drain (reserving 1/2 cup pasta water) and set aside.
- Add heavy cream to the spinach and mushrooms, stirring well, and mix in Parmesan cheese. If sauce is too thick, add pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Pour drained pasta into the sauce and toss well to coat thoroughly. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens and sticks to pasta.
- Transfer to serving plates, garnish with more Parmesan and serve hot.
Recipe adapted from Julie’s Album