Creamy Mushroom Pasta (vegan)
This is a delicious and healthy pasta recipe with very little fat and sodium, and zero cholesterol. It has the natural flavor of mushrooms, herbs, and spices, and gets a rather nice tone from the addition of Li Zi Nutcracker Tea. Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 20 min
35 m 2Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 oz. mushrooms, any type, wild or domestic (I normally use button mushrooms)
- 1/4 c. finely ground or chopped nuts of any kind (I prefer hazelnuts or walnuts) (optional)
- 1 1/2 c. + 1 tbsp. vegetable broth (low sodium)
- 1 tbsp. fresh, chopped rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
- 1 tsp. dried, ground thyme
- 1 tbsp. dry Li Zi Nutcracker tea leaves
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 oz. (dry weight) whole grain pasta: any whole grain pasta, such as wheat, spelt, buckwheat, kamut, or rye pasta will work well
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil while preparing the ingredients.
Clean and coarsely chop the mushrooms. Note that many mushrooms require a simple rinse to clean, and it is best that the stems be included in the recipe, if possible.
In a deep skillet or stove-top pan, heat the olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat until the garlic just begins to turn golden.
Add the vegetable broth, dried tea, and mushrooms and bring to a simmer.
Add the rosemary, thyme, optional nuts, black pepper, and stir.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
Stir the mushroom mixture at a low boil for approximately 5-7 min., until mushrooms have cooked down in size.
Very carefully (it's hot!) remove approximately 1 c. of mushrooms and broth and place in a blender.
Taking caution to avoid heat and steam injuries, blend the mushrooms and broth (add as much broth from the pan as needed to allow blending into a thick liquid). Be sure to use a lid on the blender, but place the lid lightly on the blender and lift a bit several times to vent the steam as you blend. This will prevent steam and pressure from building up which could cause the lid to blow off.
Return the blended mushroom and broth to the pan and stir to combine with the other mushroom mixture. Reduce heat until pasta is ready.
Drain pasta thoroughly and add pasta and mushroom sauce together. Stir to combine ingredients and coat pasta.
