Farfalle with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Mushrooms

It amazes me how much the shape of pasta influences what I want to eat with the pasta.  For me, spaghetti cries meat – either in the form of a meat sauce or meatballs.  Yet the delicate angel hair goes splendidly with lots of sautéed vegetables.  Pappardelle is possibly my favorite pasta, and I really like eating it with a ragu.  This dish might as well just whisper the word “comforting” in my ear. Penne pasta is amazing with fresh mozzarella and basil.

Tonight, I wanted to try and use a pasta I rarely use but is still absolutely delicious – farfalle (also known as bow-tie pasta).  Farfalle are so cute, and all of their ridges are great for holding pasta sauce. I was inspired by ingredients in my kitchen to make the dish described below.  We had spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes in the fridge, so I incorporated this with the farfalle.  We also luckily had a bottle of opened Pinot Grigio, so I added this to the sauce.  My parents and I enjoyed the farfalle with a glass of wine.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of farfalle pasta
• 2 cups of fresh, coarsely chopped spinach
• 3 large vine tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup of sliced portobello mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce (I used Barilla’s tomato and basil sauce)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1) Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil and cook the pasta.

2) Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil under medium-low heat, and add the garlic.  Remove the garlic pieces after a minute.

3) Add the tomatoes, Herbes de Provence, the wine, and some salt and pepper.  Lower the heat to low, cover the saucepan and let the tomato mixture simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Check after a minute or two to stir.

4) Put the tomato mixture in a large serving bowl, and let it sit while you cook the mushrooms.  Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan under medium heat and add the mushrooms when the oil is hot.  This will let you avoid washing a lot of dishes!

5) Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes, and pour the tomato white wine mixture back in the saucepan with the mushrooms.  Also, pour in the tomato sauce and cook until the sauce is hot.

6) Once the pasta is cooked, drain all of the water with a sieve.

7) Put the spinach in the bottom of the serving bowl, and pour the farfalle into the bowl.  Add the mushroom tomato sauce and stir until the sauce coats the pasta.  The sauce will wilt the spinach.

8) Add some salt and pepper and serve with parmesan cheese.

Servings: 4-6